"OUR" PLACE - SEE NEW THREAD!

[wanswheel]

Crew dormitory car #2501, Mom's nameplate
(Formerly Santa Fe sleeping car Pine Beach)

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_view.cfm?photoid=1296827531&id=49

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/structures/index_view.cfm?photoid=69420947&id=37

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_view.cfm?photoid=32990271&id=50

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/marine/index_view.cfm?photoid=-1728701734&id=114

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/structures/index_view.cfm?photoid=1327988684&id=40

Mike

[siberianmo]

Even though ”Our” Place is CLOSED on SUNDAY’s we do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!


NOW PLAYING at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!


Major League (1989)

QUOTE: PLOT DESCRIPTION
Inheriting the Cleveland Indians baseball team from her late husband, covetous ex-showgirl Margaret Whitton wants to move the franchise to Miami, primarily to take advantage of the many personal perks she's been promised by that city. But Cleveland won't yield its lease on the Indians unless the year's attendance falls below 800,000. Figuring that chances for this are already good given Cleveland's inability to win a pennant, Whitton tries to make doubly certain that the fans won't turn out by ordering the club manager to put together the worst team possible. The new players include hasbeen Tom Berenger, blind-as-a-bat pitcher Charlie Sheen, self-protective free agent Corbin Bernsen, and Wesley Snipes, who is constitutionally incapable of hitting straight. Surprisingly, this band of misfits begins winning games, so Whitton decides to break their spirit by forcing them to fly from game to game in a World War II prop plane, assigning them a rickety old bus for road games, and divesting them of their precious whirlpool. Still, the team's talent and esprit de corps grows, especially after "Wild Thing" Sheen dons a pair of glasses and is able to see where he's lobbing his 100-mile-an-hour pitches. Once the players are told that Whitton plans to dump them all whether they win the pennant or not, the team defiantly adopts an "us against the you-know-what" attitude. In a nailbiting 20 minute climax, the Indians face down their hated Yankee rivals in the pennant playoff game. The film's conclusion ties up several loose plot ends, notably the off-and-on romance between the irresponsible Berenger and his "ex" Rene Russo. Though set in Cleveland, Major League was filmed virtually in its entirety in Milwaukee, with the Brewers' play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker giving a terrific performance as the Indians' drink-besotted color commentator.

From: All Movie Guide


Bull Durham (1988)

QUOTE: PLOT DESCRIPTION
A blend of comedy, drama and romance, Bull Durham follows the intertwining of three lives brought together by the great American pastime. Crash Davis (Kevin Costner, showcasing his Midwestern charm) is a perennial Minor Leaguer assigned to the Durham Bulls, a hapless team with a long tradition of mediocrity. There he tutors a young, dim-witted pitching prodigy, Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) in the ways of baseball, life, and love. Each strikes up a romance with Annie (Susan Sarandon), the team's "mascot" who takes it upon herself to sleep with a new player every season. Each has his/her own conflict: Crash struggles to end his career with some measure of dignity; Nuke struggles to make it to the "big show"; and Annie struggles to find something more than a roll in the hay -- and of course, Crash and Nuke come into conflict over Annie's affections to further complicate matters. The film treats the sport of baseball with a sort of casual reverence, highlighting both the drama and the humor inherent in the game, illustrated by Annie's numerous references to baseball as "her religion."

From: All Movie Guide


Three Stooges Short Subject: Plane Nuts (1933)
(Poster unavailable)

QUOTE: Featuring Ted Healy and His Stooges Mostly made up out of a number of musical productions, Healy and His Stooges reha***heir old vaudeville act in this short, with the Stooges coming onto stage to interrupt Healy while he is singing.

If you are browsing, how about letting the guys know that you’ve enjoyed their efforts!


Enjoy![tup]

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[siberianmo]

Good Morning Gents!

In a departure from the routine on Sundays let me say that it was quite a surprise to see the return of two guys to the bar - jlampke John 'n wanswheel Mike[yeah][tup][tup][tup] Thanx for the commitment for April 12th, John and hope to see you too, Mike!

Looks like the efforts put forth by the guys, spearheaded by Lars is beginning to show some positive effects. Good to see the both of you and appreciate your taking the time to stop by!

Many thanx to Rob 'n Doug for the Pix-fest that we've all grown accustomed to on Sunday mornings![tup][tup][tup] A nice way to "kick-start" the day, eh[?]

E-mails received from Rob ' Lars and responded to - Thanx![tup]

Okay, Gents - let's get back to enjoying this day of rest - except for John as the new Poppa gets to "walk the floors" with his newborn son! Many congrats to you and the bride![tup][tup][tup] Does that make us all "uncles" 'round here as suggested by Doug[?][?][swg]

Later!

Tom[4:-)] [oX)]

THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[passengerfan]

Good Morning Tom and the rest of the gang.
That pictiure you posted of the single level ultra-dome was after the BC rail had shut down all passenger services and this car one of two was bought by Via Rail fro service in the Skeena. Kind of ironic that these two ultra-domes ended up being repainted in Via Rail colors and they were constructed using the frames of ex CN Baggage cars.
Somewhere I have the former CN numbers of the cars they were rebuilt from.

Rob enjoyed the passenger train photos this morning. Considering those Budd cars shown are 51 years old they still look good to me.

TTFN AL

[LoveDomes]

Good Morning Tom and Gents looking in!

Should make special mention of the return to the bar of jlampke John & wanswheel Mike! Looks like the email "campaign" worked![tup] Received your response, John and sent one back. Don't know if you got mine, Mike, but the idea was to get you to stop by - especially on the 12th of April. Nice URLS![tup]

Good stuff, as ever, from Rob & Doug. Hey, Doug - I can round up some burly retired seamen and we'll be glad to do a "number" on that AH neighbor of yours. All you need to do is provide the keg when it's all said & done![swg]

Al Thanx for the email and info about that DVD. My reply should have been received by now.

Finally, Tom you are always doing your very best to keep this ship on course. No doubt that you have charted as safe and direct route - much appreciated![tup][tup][tup]


Continuing on with my “theme” for the past couple of Sunday’s – here’s some more about Alaska . . . .


For Tom’s Alaska Trip! Alaska RR 2003 print



For Tom’s Alaska Trip! Alaska RR 2004 print



For Tom’s Alaska Trip! Alaska RR 2005 print



For Tom’s Alaska Trip! Alaska RR 2006 print



Enjoy the pix![tup]

Until the next time!

Lars


April 12th is our day at “Our” Place!

[siberianmo]

Even though ”Our” Place is CLOSED on SUNDAY’s we do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!

As mentioned a few days ago at the bar, Nick has “come to save the day!” Check these out: (of course, CLICK to enlarge!)

1



2



3



4



5



6



Thanx Nick – six more next week!![tup][tup][tup]


If you are browsing, how about letting the guys know that you’ve enjoyed their efforts!

Enjoy![tup]

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[LoveDomes]

Hey Tom

[wow] Had no "clue" that the Brits ever marketed trains like those! Sure are great looking and the similarities to "ours" is something else. Nice group from Nick - thanks Tom!![tup][tup]

Here's something a bit different - got the "tip" from 20 Fingers Al when he sent an email about the availability of this on DVD - maybe he sent it to you too - nevertheless, the guys may enjoy it!



Click here for a larger pix: http://www.csrmf.org/store/itemdetail.asp?id=654

Can be purchased from McMillan publications or from the California State Museum (store) both on the web.

Until the next time!

Lars

[siberianmo]

Even though ”Our” Place is CLOSED on SUNDAY’s we do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!


Continuing with Tom’s Nostalgia! from past weeks, here are a few more Pix from what I remember of my childhood Lionel trains! As previously mentioned, those trains are long gone, but thanx to internet sources, the Pix remain. So, take a trip with me through what just may be the only remaining “evidence” of the trains from my yesteryear . . . .


(1) Lionel KW 190 watt transformer (1950-65)



(2) Lionel O-27 switches (post war)



(3) Lionel #26 illuminated bumper (1948-50)




(4) Lionel #115 City Station




(5) Lionel #395 floodlight tower (1949-56)



If you are browsing, how about letting the guys know that you’ve enjoyed their efforts!


Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[Anonymous]

Welcome back Mike! You still have not lost your touch when it comes to posting interesting pictures. I won't ask where you've been ...just don't leave again!

Terrific pix Mr. Tom! Bull Durham and Major League are two of the films I don't mind seeing again and again. Really enjoyed the nifty British models. It would be interesting to see a price comparison from when they were built and now! I also liked (and owned) some Lionel equipment. We had the Lionel searchlight tower, and a few other pieces that my son would know better than I, since it was really his stuff!

Nice Alaska pix Mr. Lars. I'll take you up on your tough-love approach to solving my little problem over here.

For the coming week, I've got a few more installments of the Tunnel series ready to post, as well as a story or two on the Great Northern, which we all know is Tuesday's theme. I also have a Pike's Perspective piece I need to type. And last (and least) there are the jokes which I subject ya'll to .. like this one ...

[:I] A very shy guy goes into a bar and sees a beautiful woman sitting at the
bar. After an hour of gathering up his courage he finally goes over to her and asks, tentatively, "Um, would you mind if I chatted with you for a while?"
She responds by yelling, at the top of her lungs, "No, I won't sleep with you tonight!"
Everyone in the bar is now staring at them. Naturally, the guy is hopelessly and completely embarrassed and he slinks back to his table. After a few minutes, the woman walks over to him and apologizes. She smiles at him and says, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I'm a graduate student in psychology and I'm studying how people respond to embarrassing situations."
To which he shouts, at the top of his lungs, "What do you mean $300?" [:I]

[nickinwestwales]

What ho Gents,just a quick note under the door with pix captions.

First However-JOHN-Many congratulations to yourself and your Lady [tup][^][tup]-I believe this is our first-I feel all emotional [swg]...Wonderful news..!!

O.K-Have particularly enjoyed the classic toy/model train material that has been on offer on recent Pike days and PETE`s reference to a smoke-fitted "Britannia" pacific set off a dull knocking in an almost abandoned section of the memory motel-A brief delve turned up the 1962 Tri-Ang Railways catalogue and here she is-framed by some high-iron sisters and a tank engine we shall return to.
The `Magnadhesion` feature mentioned may require explanation:-
Tri-Ang`s sucess was founded on mass-producing plastic bodied loco`s and stock.
These mouldings could carry a level of detailing equal to anything that their principal competitors,Hornby Dublo could achieve with their die-cast metal range (see pic 5 )
but lacked adhesive weight ( Tri-Ang`s 3-pole XO3&4 motors also compared badly to the H/D 5-pole Ringfields)
The ingenious solution arrived at,was the fitting of a bar magnet between two of the drivers causing the loco`s to literally `stick` to the track-nickel silver rail was unknown over here back then,everything was steel (or brass rail for outdoor use).
As to pix 2,3&4-whilst browsing through the rest of the catalogue,I found these,which I thought might be of general interest .
At this time,Tri-Ang ( a large toy makers for whom trains were just one product line ) were still producing goods for the Empire and Commonwealth and it was obviously felt that these new-fangled plastic trains might have an overseas market,thus "Transcontinental"-As far as I know (ominous chord) the only reasonably comprehensive U.S. outline range ever produced in this country.
The double-ender is apparently based on E.M.D export products for Africa,Aus. & N.Z-how authentic the O/H powered green version is is open to question...
The steeple-cab electric switcher is based on Dutch (Std G) & Swiss (N.G) prototypes.
A 4-6-4T was also produced for the Aus. market & is much sought-after.
The coaches were produced in 4 types-bagg/kitchen-diner-coach-dome/obs and 3 liveries-silver w. red stripe(illustration wrong-presumably pre-production samples),blue with yellow lining & lettering ( VIA Rail 15 years before it`s time) and two-tone green with yellow line & script
Also available ,an operating R.P.O car in either red or blue.
Have seen a B/K car in white with green stripe as an ambulance car for the "battle-space" range
As well as the freight cars shown the range included an operating Ortner dump car,a well-wagon,an operating 2-bay covered hopper,a stake flat,a 6-axle well wagon with searchlight plus a strange snowplough-caboose hybrid.
On to pic 5-Now we move on to my trains of childhood-This page is taken from the 1970 Tri-Ang /Hornby catalogue,By now H/D had long closed but the moulds and tooling for their locos had been purchased by G.R.Wrenn.
Tri-Ang offered these models under the Tri-Ang/Wrenn banner as an almost bespoke building service,although the original tooling was still in use.
My first train,bought for me 3 months shy of my 4th birthday,was the 2-6-4 tank engine at bottom right in 3-rail form plus 3 tinplate suburban coaches,needless to say,it didn`t last long,to my lasting shame.
A mania for collecting these in recent years has driven prices through the roof-I have seen a rare version of the" West Country"( top left )advertised for about $2500
Pic 6-Trains of chilhood pt2:-Again from the `70 catalogue,at the rather more mature age of 9,I received the set shown bottom left-all the stock is still available for service,albeit somewhat different looking.
The loco is the same as in the first pic-2 of a number of livery variations that that model enjoyed-the chassis appears under the steeple cab electric as well.
The 0-6-0 tank at the top of the page may well be the most produced model in the country-the chassis was also common to at least half a dozen other models--The Margate factory were always great believers in standardisation-made maintaining a fleet a breeze-almost everything is interchangeable-1 part fits all [^]
Right enough waffle from me-enjoy your day of rest fella`s-see you soon,nick,[C=:-)]

[siberianmo]

Gentlemen,

Ever wonder about those fine pix that have been Posted during past Sunday Photo Posting Days! [?] The guys who took the time and made the effort to provide one and all with some enjoyable pix deserve to have their work preserved. So, here’s something you may want to “bookmark” for future use:

UNFORTUNATELY some of the Pix have disappeared, especially those stored with PhotoBucket.


INDEX:
January – March 2006 Sunday Photo Posting Days!

Begins on: . . . . . click on the URL

(1) Page 214, 08 Jan 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=214&TOPIC_ID=35270

(2) Page 220, 15 Jan 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=220&TOPIC_ID=35270

(3) Page 227, 22 Jan 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=227&TOPIC_ID=35270

(4) Page 232, 29 Jan 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=232&TOPIC_ID=35270

(5) Page 238, 05 Feb 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=238&TOPIC_ID=35270

(6) Page 244, 12 Feb 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=244&TOPIC_ID=35270

(7) Page 251, 19 Feb 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=251&TOPIC_ID=35270

(8) Page 257, 26 Feb 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=257&TOPIC_ID=35270

(9) Page 264, 05 Mar 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=264&TOPIC_ID=35270

(10) Page 273, 12 Mar 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=273&TOPIC_ID=35270

(11) Page 280, 19 Mar 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=280&TOPIC_ID=35270

(12) Page 285, 26 Mar 2006
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=285&TOPIC_ID=35270


With my compliments![tup]

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[Anonymous]

Good morning Tom and all! I'll have my usual 2 light breakfasts please. It's back to work for me today, and we'll be a little more short-handed than usual once again. We had anoher night's peaceful sleep, but it's just a matter of time before mount-stupid blows again downstairs. That's why we have police I guess.

Nice post on the British models Nick. I was wondering what the magnetic attraction to the track was all about, and you explained it.

Here is part III of my Tunnel series:

Tunnels by Henry B. Comstock June 1947 Railroad Magazine


Hell-roaring construction camps were an inevitable part of every tunnel job. But they had lost much of their pristine vigor when Great Northern laid out this orderly city in the wilderness for the hard-rock Hannigans at work on the Cascade


While Hoosac’s great length, combined with the early date of its construction, make it in many ways the most remarkable of all North American railroad tunnels, only a small part of the whole dark pageant of hard-rock drilling is buried beneath its granite portals. The miners who toil deep under the crust of the earth, to meet the inflexible demand of flanged wheels for nearly level grade, are a story in themselves. Working in eerie surroundings, with sudden death as a constant companion, they have an ingrained belief in the supernatural. As might be expected, their legends and songs reflect this trait.

Earth was still being wheeled from the mouth of the world’s first railroad tunnel – The French Terrenoire bore, completed in 1826 – when George Stephenson undertook to drive a horizontal shaft through Tyler Hill, in Kent County, England. This digging, still a part of that country’s Southern Railway system, lies within sight of the stately towers of Canterbury Cathedral. The tale goes that when daylight broke through the knob in 1830, a strange circumstance was noted. Just once a year, on June 9th, the date of the great engineer’s birthday, the sun peeks for a brief hour through the cutting.

On this side of the Atlantic, gangs of burly Negroes whipping down steel with their thin-hafted hammers, gave us the fabulous story of “Jawn” Henry. Today there are no less than eight recorded versions of the song which elevated this ebony idol of the hard-rock gang to a pedestal beside Paul Bunyon. If we believe the verse which runs:

Some say he’s from Georgia
Some say he’s from Alabam’
But its wrote on the rock at the
Big Bend Tunnel,
That he’s an East Virginia man,
That he’s an East Virginia man,

- then we will have the full support of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, whose original Big Bend tunnel is one of the two smoke holes reputed to have been the sight of spectacular drilling contest in which Jawn out-performed a steam hammer, but bursted his heart in the process. The other and less likely setting is the Central of Georgia’s Oak Mountain tunnel, hundreds of miles further down the ridge. For sheer poetic beauty most critics prefer the C&O ditty, which continues:

John Henry told the Cap’n
When you go to town,
Buy me a nine pound hammah,
An’ I’ll drive this steel drill down,
An’ I’ll drive this steel drill down,
The steam drill was on the right han’ side
John Henry was on the left,
Say, before I let this steam drill beat me down
I’ll hammah myself to death,
I’ll hammah myself to death.

And that is exactly what happened to the strapping six-foot four-inch giant, according to the last verse, which concludes:

They took John Henry to the White House
And buried him in the san’.

Not content with having produced one legendary tunnel character, the railroad which had pushed no less than twenty-five smoke holes through the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies on its rugged line from Richmond to the silvery Ohio, laid claim to still another black colossus, in 1916. He was Dan Chains, better known in Cabin Creek, West Virginia by the moniker “Fewclothes.”

Picture yourself a devastating flood in the upper Kanawha River Valley. Tracks undercut and ties upended like a picket fence. Trains are marooned all up and down the line, their cars bunched together at crazy jackstraw angles. The arch of Seng Creek Tunnel, just under a mile in length, lies half submerged, a black pool at North Portal completing the circle of masonry in faithful inverted pattern. No man in his right senses would venture through that subterranean river, with its flotsam of uprooted trees shaking their contorted limbs in the muddy eddies. No? Then listen-

From somewhere deep in the heart of the mountain a velvety bass voice booms through the blackness. “Ah only charges what folks want to gib me. No regulah price. Some pays me a quartah, an’ others a dollah. Whatever you thinks the trip is wuth.”

A five-foot blacksnake slips down the bank with a rattle of loosened pebbles; glides easily along the bottom of the pool. Curled rhododendron leaves wink in the mocking sunlight. And then, with a last slow creak, a johnboat thrusts its prow from the bore and the huge bulk of the rower straightens. He is Fewclothes, the C&O section hand, clad as usual only in ragged overalls. He has just brought in another ferry-load of refugees.

Fewclothes is no hero, slated for a Congressional Medal of Honor. Just a simple colored man; one part worker, two parts loafer, three parts fighter, and the rest plain daredevil. He has seen a chance to commandeer the Anchor Coal Company’s boat and fill his bib pocket with loose change; folks can take his craft – or scramble over the mountain. Within a few days one of the railroad’s special police officers will break up Fewclothes’ lucrative trade and the big black boy will pick up his spike maul again and go on to other exploits of the kind that have made him a legendary figure in the disconsolate valley of the Great Kanawha.

Timber arching of the venerable Quemahoming bore, once used by the Pittsburgh, Westmoreland & Sommerset Railroad, was still holding firm when this photo was made in 1933.


[:I] Once upon a time there was a young man who wanted to become a great writer. "I want to write things the whole world will read," he declared.
"Stuff that will elicit strong emotions from people in every walk of life. I want my writing to make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger."
He now lives happily ever after in Redmond, Wash., writing error messages for Microsoft. [:I]

[siberianmo]

(courtesy: www.trainweb.org)

We open at 6 AM (all time zones!). (Don’t ask how we do that!)[swg]


MONDAY’s INFO & SUMMARY of POSTS


Monday, Monday – can’t trust that day! (Mamas & the Papas) What better way to begin the week than to enjoy a hot cuppa Joe, pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery and a selection from our Menu Board for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast![tup]


Daily Wisdom

Money is like a drunk. The tighter it gets, the louder it talks.[swg]


”Our” Place” ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION is Wednesday, April 12th!


Info for the Day:

Railroads from Yesteryear – Great Northern Railway (GN) arrives Tuesday!

* Weekly Calendar:

Wednesday: Pike Perspective’s Day!
Thursday: Fish ‘n Chips Nite!
Friday: Pizza Nite! & Steak Nite!
Saturday: Steak ‘n Trimmin’s Nite! – and –
ENCORE! Saturday


SUMMARY

Name …..…………… Date/Time …..…..………. (Page#) .. Remarks

(1) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 00:35:01 (285) 5 Pix!

(2) jlampke John Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 04:30:09 (285) He’s baaaaaaaaaack![tup]

(3) barndad Doug Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 05:57:39 (285) 5 Pix & joke!

(4) barndad Doug Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 06:22:25 (285) Comments & joke!

(5) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 06:28:22 (285) Sunday’s Info & Summary

(6) wanswheel Mike Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 08:39:38 (285) He’s baaaaaaaack![tup] Pix & URLS!

(7) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 08:54:19 (286) Now Playing at the Emporium!

(8) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 09:25:31 (286) Acknowledgments & Comments

(9) passengerfan Al Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 09:29:06 (286) Comments

(10) LoveDomes Lars Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 09:47:49 (286) Comments & 4 Pix!

(11) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 12:20:02 (286) 6 Pix from Nick!

(12) LoveDomes Lars Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 12:55:42 (286) DVD Pix

(13) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 15:43:47 (286) 5 Pix!

(14) barndad Doug Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 17:03:36 (286) Inclusive Post & joke!

(15) nickinwestwales Nick Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 17:26:02 (286) Pix descriptions!

(16) siberianmo Tom Posted: 26 Mar 2006, 18:24:23 (286) Sunday Index



The Mentor Village Emporium Theatre

NOW SHOWING:

Double Features and Three Stooges Short Subject!

. . . Sunday, March 26th thru April 1st:Major League (1989) starring Tom Beringer, Charlie Sheen & Corbin Bernson – and – Bull Durham (1988) starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins. SHORT: Plane Nuts (1933).


That’s it! [tup][;)]

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]
Proprietor of “Our” Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!



THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[coalminer3]

Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house; $ for the jukebox.

Nice to see some "old" names reappaearing. Also I enjoyed the encore postings and all of the pictures. I'm glad that my memory abt. Tri-ang Hornby (we talked some abt. this last week) was not so far off the mark as the catalog pictures showed. ALso enjoyed the Lionel postings as well.

There's lots of John Henry material around this part of the country, of course. Some of you may be familiar with the John Henry statue which sits beside the road atop the east portal of the Great Bend tunnel. You can ride through the tunnel on Amtrak 50/51.

Fewclothes is another semi legendary figure who is associated with the railroad and/or the UMWA, especially when it was organizing in this part of the coalfields. I'll have to do some more looking as I know there are more stories about him.

I see where April 12 is the great get-together. I will have something for that from the notebooks dealing with the NKP and the D&H - material I have not posted before. I'm looking forward to it.

work safe

[passengerfan]

Good Morning Tom and the rest of the gang. No coffee no crumpet please have to go for a MRI this AM and nothing to eat or drink before they do their thing.

I really enjoyed the TRI-Ang Catalogue pictures from yesterday. The Dome observation and the other three cars along with the diesel shown pulling them were released in Canada in both CPR and CN color schemes. The RDC-2 was also releaseds in both CPR and CNR colors as well.

TTFN AL

[siberianmo]

Good Morning!

A rainy, blustery morning here in mid-Continent USA. Temps expected to finally get up to the 50s, but there’s some “weather” in the making. Petrol was $2.29 (rounded) up at “Collusion Corner” this weekend and expected to rise. There’s talk of three-bucks a gallon gasoline before May. So the question is, why[?] But then we DO know the answer to that, eh[?] Because they CAN![tdn]

Aside from the Pix for our Sunday Photo Posting Day! the “return” of two guys to the Thread made for something different. Appreciate the positive commitment from jlampke John for our 12th of April get together. Thanx![tup][tup] Comments from those of you who took the time also appreciated![tup]

I’ll have a follow-up Post for WEDNESDAY’s “Pike Perspective’s Day!” on those Pix from Nick which by the way, were lots of fun to look at, eh[?][tup][tup] Many THANX for the descriptions too – always helps and always appreciated![tup][tup] Mine will be to focus a bit on the “OO/HO” references on the ads in those ads.

Good to see barndad Doug, coalminer3 CM3 ‘n passengerfan Al up ‘n about this day![tup] Given that this place is a cyber bar ‘n grill, one can imbibe all they wish and the medical tests won’t be the wiser!![swg] Thanx for the round & quarters, CM3!!

Heard from Lars and the responses are coming in for the April 12th Anniversary get together. He’ll Post something on it either today or tomorrow. However, one thing is that some guys have not responded so YOUR help will be asked for.

So, has pwolfe Pete “Wolfman” become a member of the “Legion of the Lost!”[?][?]


I expect to be at the bar for the remainder of the day . . . . catch y’all later![tup]


Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[LoveDomes]

G’day Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!

Kinda like a morgue around here today . . . Blue Monday, huh[?]

I’ll have my usual please and a frosty bottle of Rheingold in a cold mug – thanks!
Not a bad turnout for the Sunday Pix Gala! and a couple of “surprise” visits didn’t hurt either,huh[?] Good job all around I’d say and of course a special mention goes to the Proprietor for not only providing us with the diversity of pix, but in keeping the thread “up on the page” throughout the day. So, many, many idiots on our forum these days ….. [tdn]

Those model trains of Great Britain are truly interesting and I did some research on them as well. Looking forward to your Wednesday info, Tom, it will fit right in with the idea of “Pike Perspectives.”[tup]

Ok gents, here’s the skinny as I see it so far for April 12th:

CFournier Chris (sent via the forums) . . . . . . no response
Gunns Kevin (sent via the forums) . . . . . . . . . no response

wrwatkins (sent via the forums & email) . . . . . responded, with NO commitment
Jlampke John (sent via the forums & email) . . responded – will be here!
Jdonald Don (sent via the forums & email) . . . responded – will be here!
Theodorebear (sent via the forums & email) . . responded – will be here!

earlydiesels Dan (sent email) (no contact info on the forums) . . . . . . no response
Trainnut484 Russell (sent email) (no contact info on the forums) . . . no response
West Coast S Dave (sent email) (no contact info on the forums) . . . no response –but- saw a post from him indicating he will be here.

Also saw a post from wanswheel Mike but didn’t notice a commitment.

So, guys – check out those “no response” entries and fire off an email to them. The more contact we try to make, the better the chance of getting the “Legion of the Lost” guys to show up on the 12th! I’d appreciate knowing who you hear from with so we don’t cross wires.[tup]

My plan is to send one more round of emails next week, then that’s it for me.


Looking forward to your RR from Yesteryear coming down the track tomorrow. I’ll see what I can put together for the Great Northern “theme”.

A round on me if you please! Ring the bell, Boris![tup]


Until the next time!

Lars

[wanswheel]

http://ditty.biz/63000012.mp3

[trolleyboy]

Well good afternoon Sir Tom, a hogie and the trimings and a Keith's to make iot all go down happy.[tup]

Interesting day yesterday fer sure fer sure. Good to see some old faces[tup] The pictures were a wonderfull cross section folks. Nick Loved the tri-ang shots.Doug Great bunch of pictures that,you guys really have a wonderfull collection of cars and a wonderfull collection of piles of junk[;)][swg]lars Tha's quite the collection of alaska posters, that DVD looks kinda interesting as well.


John Congrats on the Baby sir oh and merry xmas a bit early just in case. [:O][swg] actually great to hear from you, good luck on your cheif engineers coarse, also glad to hear that you will be around on the 12th.

Lars I've gotten the no respose from Chris as well, I'll try once more next week. all in all a fine fine effort sir [tup]

Doug Wonderfull part three to the tunnellers, any GN tunnels for tomorrow ?I'm glad to hear that the AH's below allowed you a peacefull night for a change,still between Lar's offer and Tom's offer of Vito the hit's boyz services you should be fine [tup][:O][xx(]

I'll be back in ajiff with "somethink" new

Rob

[trolleyboy]

Good afternoon again Tom & the gang here's part three iof the locomotive rebuilders series, as always only a brief description of the goig's on.

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO CONTRACT REBUILDING

Shortly after the Erie Lackawanna was taken over by Conrail (1976). Conrail found themselves with an over abundance of locomotive shops.So they sold off the old EL shops in Hornell, New York to General Electric.The shop was originally used primarily for transit-car work by GE,however the capabilites of the shop allowed GE to offer contract rebuilding, without taking away from their new locomotive production at their main plant in Erie.

Given that most Alco built locomotives used GE electricals , rebuilding of Alco products for shortlines and big railways tended to be the main focus of GE's Hornell shops. Locomotive rebuilding began in earnest in 1979. Oddy one of the first jobs was reconditioning 5 FL9's for Metro North, this in itself wasn't all that unusual as the electric third rail pick up equipment on these loco's were of GE origin, that and the fact that Metro-North is an agency of NY state and the state tends to prefer using in state facilities for jobs such as this one.

After minor reconditioning ( mostly electrical and bodywork ) of ex Lehigh and Hudson River C420's for the Green Bay and Western in dec. of '79, The Hornell Shops began an interesting series of rebuilds of C424 locomotives. Pennsey 5415,Erie 2412,& 2415,and Reading 5204 got complete new 251 power units and new electricals and re-entered service as GB&W's 319-322 in Jan and march of 1980.

In may of 1980 D&H C424's 451-456 and 461-463 wre outshopped from Hornell with new 12 cylnder 251's and were given a hp reduction from 2400-2000hp. The work also included new wiring,rebuilt radiators,new GE style air filtration and other upgrades designed to lower the amount of maintenace time on the units.Units 451-456 were originally EL 2401,2406,2407,2414, aaand Reading 5207. Units 461-463 were originally EL's 2412,2405 and 2408. These units were later sold to the Gennassee and Wyomingas their 61-63.

The next set of rebuilds was ex L&N C420's 1385,1316,1333 and N&W's 415.These locomotives recieved the same reengining and re-wiring as the 424 rebuilds but did not have the horsepower reduction as the C420 already used the 12c 2000hp power units. Thes engines were built for the Apache Ry as their units 81-84. The derating program of 424's then continued with ex PRR 2439,2443,2442,2441 which were deratedd and rebuilt for the Detroit and Mackinac's 181,281,and 381 ( numbers of the locomotives are the month and year of the completion by Hornell )

The market for the ex Conrail alco's now dried up and GE continued with the rebuilding of EMD products. SP F7's 6443,and 365 recieved HEP gear and new powerplants and were uprated to 1750hp becomming F9's 6690,& 6691 for the Port Authority of Allegheny County for commuter service around Pittsburgh. During the 1981-82 resession GE closed the Hornell Shop and sold it to Morrison -Knudson.

GE still will do some rebuilding at theior Cleveland apperatus Shop on occasion. The most recent being the conversion of three ex EL/Conrail U33C's. Thes were derated to 1800hp powerd by a cummins 8cly diesel they aklso were rebuilt structurally into cabless remote controlled units for the An Tai Bao coal mine in China, this was a joint venture between the Chinease govt and Island Creek Coal co.


Rob

[trolleyboy]

What ho Nick, I see you peeking in the door come on in man. Boris and the Zepplin crew are hungry[:O] I noticed Pete in a bit earlier as well, hope his new found broadband hasn't given up the ghost on him.

Tom Emails were recieved and responded too. Also the book relay will be winging its way south tomorrow to warmer climes. Mind you it's double digets above zero woth bords and sqirrels frolicing about . And yes our gas just hit 92 cents a litre up from the mid eighties where it had been hovering for a week or so.

Rob

[pwolfe]

Hi Tom and all.

A pint of Bathams and a couple of rounds for the abscence.

NO NOT LOST. I had some trouble with the puter one self inflicted( dont want to say too much as the bride dosen't know about it but involves liquid and keyboard). Then we were down to the Mother in Law for the weekend.

I have caught up now and must say what a great 4 days of posts[tup][tup][tup].
With the White Pass & Yukon and then the Pullman Posts with the REGULARS proving great photos and info. This really is a special place you have here TOM.

May I add a bit to the Pullmans[?].
Unfortunaly the Pullman British HQ and works at Preston Park Brighton is due for demolition. At one time there were plans for this to become a museum but one of the reasons the scheme failed is the building is surrounded by rail lines and access to it is a major problem.
One Pullman car body hoping to be saved from the works is an 1882. 6- wheel sleeping car which was made in the U.S. and shipped over in kit form. The car worked on the Highland Main Line in Scotland before suviving as a shed in the south of England for many years. The car was named Balmoral.

That is a fascinating poster from Lars on the Yorkshire Pullman. I will have to find some more info on it as it must have run in several portions looking at the list of stations it served perhaps joining together at Doncaster.
I recall seeing a photo in a magazine of the train in the 30s which was being hauled noy by a Gresley Pacific but by an Ivatt 4-4-2 Atlantic if I recall correctly is was a fairly light train so I suspect the Pullman cars were run in the consist of other trains before being formed in to The Yorkshire Pullman. I belive the train was worked on fast timings with the Atlantics putting up good performances.

Many thanks for the Encores [tup] and then another very enjoyable Sunday Photo Day.
started by ROB( thanks for the RE-Builds as well[tup]).

DOUG Great IRM photos the links were well worth looking at. The signs explaining each signal was very helpful. I wonder why the 3-position semaphores were not taken up in the UK [?]. The yard photos reminded me of some of the preservation sites in England. There were some interesting track machines in there.
I hope the problem with the neighbours gets sorted very soon. At home I lived in a SEMI which I think are called Duplexs over here. The neighbours were ok but it was not always so in the early days.

LARS Great Alaska artwork.

TOM the Bride is home and we have to go out for a while I plan to be back to continue on about the models PETE.

[Anonymous]

Good evening Tom and gents! I'll have my usual bottomless draught, and a hand grenade for the folks downstairs.

Nice GE rebuild post Mr. Rob, and yes ... I have some big G material for tomorrow, though I hope I have time to look for more!

Al. I had an MRI scan of my head once, but they didn't find anything in it.

Nice add-on post to the Pullman material Pete, and it's great to have you back!

Good work on all the e-mailing Lars. I for one am encouraged by your results!

CM3, I'm going to have to be on th elook-out for John Henry and Fewclothes material myself. Actually, I might just qualify for fewclothes status myself, as I seem to have outgrown most of my jeans.

And now ..... here's part IV of the Tunnel series:

Tunnels by Henry B. Comstock June 1947 Railroad Magazine

Big Diesel-powered blowers that clear CPR’s Connaught Tunnel in thirty-five minutes create so powerful a draught that patrolmen have to lean at a forty-five degree angle to make headway against it


Contrary to the appearance of some rights of way, railroads have always been loath to new corridors through the hills, even where appreciable reductions in mileage or grade would result. The great engineer Ashbel Witch once said, in reference to the Panama Canal: “That is the best engineering, not which makes the most splendid or even the most perfect work, but which makes a work that answers the purpose well, at the least cost.”

His observation might have been applied with equal pertinence to railroad tunnels. Expensive to cut and costly to maintain, particularly where ventilation or the facing of loose rock is involved, they are bottle-necks in fact as well as form. America’s first subterranean traffic artery was probably the only hard-rock bore which ever violated the principle. This four-hundred-foot-long archway, pushed through the diminishing ridge above Pottsville, Pa., on the line of the Skulykill Navigation Canal, was completed in 1820. Had its promoters been less anxious to exhibit their skill in surmounting natural barriers they could have completely avoided the obstruction with a one-hundred-foot detour. As it was, the once-famous tunnel was converted into an open cut in 1857.

It might be pointed out, here, that this policy of “daylighting” tunnels has been carried on at an ever=faster pace with the development of bigger and more effective excavating machinery. Take the Baltimore & Ohio, for example, which has more tunnels than any other railroad east of the Mississippi River. As necessary as many of these smoke holes were at the time of their construction, they have not simplified the task of wrestling tonnage in recent years. Some of them, too, have been a source of sorrow on scores other than smoke nuisance and limited clearance.

Take Number 23, on the Parkersburg (West Virgina) Branch. It was a pretty piece of engineering when it “holed through” in 1853, removing the last obstacle on a shortened route to the Ohio. There was only one hitch. Every time the big river went on a rampage, that tunnel got the backwash of the Little Kanawha, sister stream of the rampages tributary which gave Fewclothes his unexpected Seng Creek windfall – or waterfall – as you choose.

Filled to its brick-lined ceiling, Number 23 was no place for an uncalked boxcar, and neither were the rails on either side of it. What was to prevent the gradient from being raised? Obviously, the self-same arch, and the continuing mountain barrier above it. But shovels were now available which could make short work of thirteen thousand cubic yards of rubble. In 1944, the railroad went to work on Tunnel 23. While million pound Mallets pinched down for a sharp shoo-fly around the promontory, the rocky knob was scooped away in record time. Today a high fill, formed from the dismembered cap, stands high above flood stage.

Daylighting has other disciples. Southern Pacific, for example. The systems which runs its locomotives backward to keep the smoke behind the engine crews, is doing its best to relinqui***he title of America’s most undercover railroad by converting short rat holes into well-graded open cuts, with suitable snow-fence protection. Even the prairie-blessed Missouri Pacific regards its few Ozark tunnels as more of a nuisance than a novelty and in 1943 wrote two of them off in its annual report. These were the historic Barret bores, located some sixteen miles south of St. Louis. Constructed in the ‘fifteis, when the ambitious Pacific was pushing its trackage into the wilderness, they had long since blocked the passage of oversize shipments. Widen them and raise the keystones? Why bother? It was simpler to shove new trackage to the south, where the parallel ridges were shallow enough to be plowed through from top to bottom. Today the Midwest shipper thumbs through his standard clearance book and finds no reason to route his bulky loads by another carrier.

But there are plenty of natural barriers which can never be brushed off with a bulldozer. Take Mount MacDonald, set neatly athwart the Revelstoke Division of the CPR’s Columbia District. For years the main line through the lofty Selkirks twisted painfully around its base, making the equivalent of seven circles as it fought its way over hazardous Rogers Pass. Snowsheds and rigid track patrols could not ward off thundering slides which in 1910 blotted out the station buildings there and delayed for days the puffing pigmies which carried Canada’s commerce from coast to coast. Here an under-mountain gallery would be a positive blessing.

Thus it was that in 1913 work began at Glacier on the eight-mile-long Connaught Tunnel; a double-tracked, five-mile cutting through the range. Seven million dollars’ worth of blasting saw the task completed three years later. On December 6th, 1916, Engineer Rutherford eased Extra 3869, comprising fourteen loads and twenty empties, west-bound; cautiously down the imperceptible grade of the tangent bore which had just clipped four and one-half miles from the transcontinental mileage, reduced summit elevation 552 feet; eliminated 2,600 degrees of track curvative, and neatly dismissed the operating hazards created by thirty-foot average yearly snowfalls.

Nowadays six crack passenger trains thread the Connaught each twenty-four hours, with enough red-ball freights and pusher engine movements tossed in to make life interesting for any mountain dispatcher. Then there is always the possibility of a four-footed extra, in the form of a grizzly bear, looking for a spot to hole up for the winter, in the dark depths of the transportation cave. The story goes, too, that at least one tunnel patrolman is so slight of build that he cannot make headway against the blast of the big Diesel-powered ventilating fans, and has to be hauled out by the agent at Scenic after each inspection tour.

Traveling cantilever girder used to support soft ground in the Moffat, sped excavating and timbering operations. The big Continental Divide project paid for itself many times over during recent war years, when Rio Grande hauled one out of every five tons of was supplies shipped to the Pacific Coast.


[:I] A wife was in the kitchen doing the boiled eggs for breakfast when her husband walks in and asks "What's for breakfast?"
She turns to him and says, "You've got to make love to me this very moment".
He, thinking it's his lucky day, so he gladly complies. Afterwards he asks, "What was that all about?"
She answers "The egg timer's broken!" [:I]

[nickinwestwales]

Well good evening gentlemen all,I see ROB there,lurking by the wanted posters-a cold blue and a friend to keep it company for you,[4:-)][oX)]TOM looks like a man with a Keith`s in mind and after 200 miles of dodge-the -semi in the pi**ing rain I`ll have a Starop & a small can of Sterno by the side please.
Take for a round for the rest of the chaps as well please Boss-also send one over for that petite & Bambi-eyed young vision at the end of the bar--Black & Tan with a port & brandy chaser you say ?-my kind of lady.............
Now ROB-It is a constant source of delight that when I get a chance to turn on the machine and look at my mail I am presented with an increasingly bizarre and surreal series of images--This sort of weirdness needs to be nurtured and sent forth into a wider world,to that end,I am trying to work out how to get "Family at the beach" established as a universal screensaver at Missisnicks office.---"wrong in so many ways" from some weeks ago is destined for inclusion in some back-projection stuff we are organising for the bands-keep up the good work [tup].
MIKE-Nice double my man ! -Not only did I `get it` ( a nice little chuckle there[tup] ) but you have also shown the way forward-Herr Wurlitzer comes to life[^]-after the Tues night lecture you will soon be giving at the Mentor Railmens Inst. ( see Gazette for details ) we will all be able to `post` music from the juke to the bar--brilliant trick[tup][^][tup]-at last I can unleash my horrid bands on you all.
Another idea strikes-for the anniversary party,every time you post,attach a tune....might work...[:-^]
CM3-just scrolled back to last week R.E Tri-Ang:-Only `N` gauge connection I can call to mind was T/H aquisition of Trix Trains `MiniTrix` range ,whether as owners or just distributers not known.
Graham-Farish were the principal makers of 2mm r-t-r for about 30 years over here (with PECO also a significant producer) but also produced 00 equipment until early sixties-`Formoway` track and scale-length Pullmans (inc `Brighton Belle` power cars-although that might have been Wrenn now that I think about it...)were of particular note
Believe that Peter Graham-Farish died some years ago and his sons have now sold out to the ever voracious Bachman-am informed that product quality has dropped significantly although the range is being quite aggressively marketed
20FINGERS AL-thanks for additional info R.E. Tri-Ang-as a collecter,albeit in a small way,new info always welcome-nice one [tup]-be interesting to know what the production run was on those..?
[4:-)][oX)]TOM-beers all around again if you please,once again,many thanx for doing the biz with the pix[tup]-looking forward to Weds-let me know if you need any extra info/pix etc.
--Missing Yogi already......
More material for the Editor in the pipeline...[swg]
DOUG-nice URL`s-Have some shots of the Gwilli Railways `honey do` siding,will dig out for future use-something very dignified about time-served stock quietly awaiting it`s next move.
Tunnel stuff is inducing claustrophobia,jokes inducing incontinence,thanks for sharing--good luck with the demons from the deep-just try not to bite back,moral high ground always useful.
LARS-glad you enjoyed the pix-be interested to hear the fruits of your research.
They are marvelous old toy trains,built to be run on carpet,trodden on by younger siblings,never cleaned or maintained from one year to the next and still perform-
I have a number of these early models in my collection,and,apart from a couple of pre-`62 examples,built to run on the original track system (about code 130) and whose drivers are too brittle to grind down,all will still perform as advertised (although with huge fans of sparks from the pick-up wheels.
Whilst on the subject-LARS-A little project for you,go and check out [4:-)][oX)]TOMS `S`Capades project in the bar library -this is a classic `starter` layout.
Then go out and buy a starter set from the bottom of the range ( Life-Like & Model Power both look promising for potential play-value per buck and are cheap enough to give to the neighbours kids if the bug doesn`t bite) add a few extra cars,maybe another engine and a track pack or two,take them home,shut yourself up in your nice shiny new basement with trains,beer,snacks & favourite music and get back to us next time you surface [swg][tup]
We can provide a bespoke layout planning facility and our sub-contractors provide a quick,clean & efficient service during installation....
ROB-nice stuff on the G.E rebuilds[^]-do you have your name down for Ian Wilson`s next book.?-understand it should be available soon
Right thats me for the moonlight mile,apologies to anyone I`ve missed and an excellent display of pix,not just on sun but all week--nice one guys,much enjoyed and appreciated
O.K.[4:-)][oX)]TOM,a last round for the hounds...Boris-go check fridges,bring back snack food for customers,go away and sleep in shed....Leon-looks like you`re in charge of taxi`s and stuff,bring out the special rum and lets wet the head of JOHN`s new best friend-may all his smallest dreams come true [^]-Gentlemen,the toast is-"The new one"
speak soon,take care,nick [C=:-)]

[siberianmo]

Good Evening!

The return of Wolfman Pete! We won’t utter a word regarding the apparent mishap between keyboard & adult beverage![swg] Just glad you got things squared away and back with us. Did you catch my answer to your earlier inquiry – see page 284[?] Thanx for the round![tup]

Heard that Buck Owens died today – a “fixture” on the old Hee Haw show and a “giant” in the Country ‘n Western scene. Don’t know whether that URL posted by wanswheel Mike was a “commemorative” or not. That’s one of the problems with one-way Posting. Anyway, we still have the man’s music.[tup] RIP, Buck! Here’s a “perishable” URL for those who are interested: http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/25/obit.owens.ap/index.html

Appreciate the update, Lars and the round![tup] All any of us can do is “try!” So, even if we only get a handful of guys to return for the 12th – hey, that’s better than an empty hand, eh[?] Good show![tup]

Thanx for the “ton” of Email, Rob!! Seriously, appreciate the ‘stuff’ and response had been sent. Was that last GE Contract Rebuilding supposed to be a “numbered Classic”[?] Anyway, I’m learning about “stuff” heretofore I had little knowledge of . . . and that ain’t all so bad, eh[?][tup]

Pete I suggest that you visit “my other thread” a bit more often – not hard to zip through the pages and lots of Pix – some good Pullman and Brit stuff too.[tup] Thanx for the Pullman info . . . . You’ll definitely want to “stay tuned” for my Pike Perspective’s Post on Wednesday . . . .

Doug I finally caught up on my reading and must say that your Tunnel series is one of the best yet. Really have enjoyed it![tup][tup][tup]

Nick! Just caught your Post before letting this one “go.” Don’t lament the passing of the Yogi-isms. I’ll bring ‘em back for ENCORE! runs – just ran out the string. By my count, that’s two of you who noticed![tup] Thanx for the round![swg]
“More” on the way for the Gazette[?] Looking forward to it! Also, learned a hulluva lot from those model train ads you sent along – once again illustrates how little many of us know about the toys others play(ed) with![swg]


Special request: Let’s all ensure that the “contact info” within the “Forum Profile” is correct and contains an active Email address. It’s not that difficult to do and provides a method for each of us to communicate privately with one another. You can always establish an Email account just for this purpose. There are plenty of “free” accounts out there. Thanx![tup]


Tomorrow’s “theme” is the Great Northern Railway – watch for it![tup] Keep in mind that we only have ONE THEME per week and it’s on Tuesday.


Leon the Night Man takes the bar at 9 PM (Central)!


Later![tup]


Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


THINK April 12th –
The 1st year Anniversary of ”Our” Place!

[passengerfan]

Good Evening Tom and the rest of the gang. Time for a CR and a round for the house.

Enjoyed the reading today of the info supplied to "Our Place". Spent five hours undergoing tests today can think of a lot better ways to waste a day. Now just have to wait for Doctors appointment next Friday to get results.

Wish I could help Nick with the numbers on the Tri-Ang Canadian content. Seems to me it was on the market for several years. Don't know whether Tri-Ang Canada was a subsidiary of UK firm or operated under license. Believe the Candaian head office was in Montreal.

Doug enjoyed the tunnel article today

TTFN Al

[Anonymous]

Evenin' again Tom and friends. I'll just have a shot of motor oil and a beer chaser.

If you want to be confused, just look at this:

Electric Rail Terms

Semaphore Signal: a signal in which the day indications are given by the position of a semaphore arm.

Sequence Switch: a remotely controlled power operated switching device used as a secondary master controller.

Series-Parallel Control: a method of controlling motors whereby the motors, or groups of them, may be connected in series first and then in parallel.

Shoe: (Ramp Shoe): the part of the vehicle apparatus making contact with the ramp.

Shoe or Pan: the collecting member of the current collector of the sliding contact type. This term is usually preceded by a designating name, thus: third-rail shoe, trolley shoe, pantograph pan, etc.

Shunt Transition: a method of changing the connection of motors from series to parallel in which one motor, or group of motors, is first shunted, then open-circuited and finally connected in parallel with the other motor or motors.

Signal Aspect: the appearance of a signal conveying an indication as received from the direction of an approaching train.

Signal Indication: the information conveyed by the aspect of a visual signal.

Signal Repeater Lights: a group of lights indicating the signal displayed for humping and trimming.

Simple Catenary Suspension (Single Catenary Suspension): that construction in which the contact wire or wires are suspended from a single messenger.

Simple Cross Span Type Supporting Structure: a single cable attached to and together with the supporting structures located at both sides of the track or tracks.

Single Element Relay: an alternating-current relay having a set of coils energized by a single current.

Single-End Control: a control in which provision is made for operating a vehicle from one end only.

Skate Machine: a mechanism, electrically controlled, for placing on, or removing from, the rails a skate which, if allowed to engage with the wheels of a car, provides a continuous braking until the car is stopped. A skate machine may be electrically or pneumatically operated.

Skate Machine Brake: an electrically operated brake, the coils of which are connected in series with the skate machine motor, designed to hold the mechanism in a fixed position when not being operated.

Skate Machine Controller: a group of electric contacts designed to limit the movement of the machine in either direction.

Skate Machine Lever: a lever mechanically operating electric contacts which control the movement of the skate machine.

Sliding Contact: an electric contact obtained by a sliding motion of one conductor over another.

Slot System (Conduit System): a system for supplying electric power to a vehicle by means of one or more underground contact rails.

Smashboard Signal: a signal so designed that the arm will be broken when passed in the stop position.

Speed Controller: a device to regulate the speed of a train in accordance with predetermined requirements.

Speed Limit Indicator: a series of lights, controlled by a relay, to indicate the speeds permitted corresponding to the track conditions.

Splicing Ear: an ear used for joining two sections of a contact wire.

Spring Contact: an electric contact that is activated by a spring.

Standard Code: a train, block signal and interlocking rules of the Association of American Railroads.

Steady Brace: a rigid member, normally un-stressed, which restrains lateral displacement of the contact wire and connects it or the messenger to the supporting structure from which it is insulated.

Steady Span: the transverse cable, or flexible member, used with bridge or cross span construction, which restrains lateral displacement of the contact wire and connects it or the messenger to the supporting structure from which it is insulated.

Stick Current: term applied to a circuit used to maintain a relay or similar unit energized through its own contact

Straight Storage System: system of electric power supply in which electric current for the requirements of the car is supplied soley from a storage battery carried on the car.

Stain Ear: an ear for making connection between a contact wire and a strain wire.

Strap Key: a push button circuit controller which has a spring metal strip for opening and/or closing a circuit momentarily

Stray Current: that portion of the total current which flows through paths other than the intended circuit.

Supporting Structure: a pole, tower, bridge or other stationary structure used for supporting a catenary system, or a direct suspension system.

Switch-and-Lock Movement: a device for the operation of a switch, movable point frog or derail, the complete movement of which performs the three operations of unlocking, operating and locking.

Switch Machine: quick-acting mechanism for car retarded yards, electrically controlled for positioning track switch points, and so arranged that the accidental trailing of the switch points does not cause damage. A switch machine may be operated by a pneumatic or electric motor.

Switch Machine Lever: a lever mechanically operating electric contacts which control the direction of movement of the switch machine.

Switch Machine Lever Lights: a group of lights indicating the position of the switch machine.

Switch Machine Lever Lock: a lock, electrically controlled by the switch machine current, which prevents the movement of the switch machine lever while the switch machine is taking current.

Switch Machine Point Detector: a group of contacts designed to open an electric circuit if switch points are not properly set for the movement of trains.

Switch Machine Pole Changer: a group of electric contacts mechanically operated to limit the movement of the switch machine and change connections for reversing movement.

Switch Signal: a color light or rotary signal located at each switch to indicate the position of the switch.

Switch Signal Lever: a lever mechanically operating electric contacts which cut off current to the switch signals.

Does any of this make sense to anyone but Rob? Who's smart enough to learn this stuff?

[:I] An Irishman an Englishman and a Scotsman were sitting in a bar in Sydney. The view was fantastic, the beer excellent, and the food exceptional. But," said the Scotsman,"I still prefer the pubs back home. Why in Glasgow there's a little bar called McTavish's. Now the landlord there goes out of his way for the locals so much that when you buy 4 drinks he will buy the 5th drink for you."
"Well." said the Englishman "At my local, the Red Lion, the barman there will buy you your 3rd drink after you buy the first 2."
"Ahhh that's nothin'" said the Irishman "Back home in Dublin there's Ryan's Bar. Now the moment you set foot in the place they'll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like. Then when you've had enough drink they'll take you upstairs and see that you get laid. All on the house."
The Englishman and Scotsman immediately pour scorn on the Irishman's claims. He swears every word is true. "Well" said the Englishman "Did this actually happen to you?"
"Not myself personally no" said the Irishman, "But it did happen to my sister, twice." [:I]

[siberianmo]

Just a quickie . . . .

For: Al

As mentioned throughout this day, I will be providing a Post on Wednesay (Pike Perspective's Day) that may shed some light into the "mystery" resarding Tri-Ang.[swg]

Glad you made it in for a "Nite Cap!" Leon Thanx you for the round . . . .[tup]

For: Doug Uhhhhhhhhhhh, makes sense to Moi! Sorry you are [%-)][%-)][%-)][%-)][%-)][%-)]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[pwolfe]

Hi Tom and all.

A pint of the usual. Back after the errand, the puter is now wireless the cable from the digital box to the phone socket was stretched tight and may have been causing a problem so, touch wood it sould be more reliable now.

Now to the Tri-ang catalog posted by NICK. WHAT fantastic memories them pages invoked and great description later as well. The prices they fetch nowadays is unbelieveable.
At the start of the 70s a few of us used to go to what was known as Swap- meets where the older model trains were on sale generally in a local hall. Unfortunatly at the time I had neither the space or the funds to start a collection but one of my friends collected 3rd rail Hornby. The photo of the BR Standard 2-6-4 Tank loco reminded me that at one meet one of the locos for sale was from smaller batch which had a different running number. I can stiil recall him saying it was a bit pricey but after a few beers and a winning domino session he went back and bought it. He finished with a great collection after many years collecting it must be worth a fortune today.

NICK I'm glad you was able to help CM3 with Graham Farrish. I had seen adverts with the name but did not know the story.

Great idea LARS on the 12th. It would be wonderful if some of the ones we have not heard of for a while were able to call in. I still remember the kindness they showed me when I first started drinking in Our Place.

Very good to see you again MIKE thanks for the great photo links and Gongratulations JOHN [tup][tup][tup].

DOUG Very interesting Tunnel articles. In todays earlier one it said that it was Stephenson's Tyler tunnel that the Sun shines through on his birthday, I had not heard of this one, but was wondering if the author had got mixed up with Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Box Tunnel, between London & Bristol on the Great Western Railway which the sun shines directly through on his birthday. By the way IKB"S 200th birthdate is near to Our Place's 1st .

TOM Another two great films on at the Emporium this week. Bull Durham is one film that can be seen time and time again.liked the model pics on Sunday.
The photo of the BC Rail wagon explained it for me. I had seen the two wagons earlier from a distance and they were loaded as in the photo of course the BC lettering was not visable. After they had been unloaded ,must be somewhere locally, I could see, to me their novel design. Many thanks for clearing this up for me, and ROB for the extra info on the wagons [tup].

I"ll have another Bathams and a look at the other site. PETE.

[siberianmo]

Evenin' Gents!

Well, looks like I'm still here! However Leon the Night Man is tending to the bar!

Good to see ya again, Pete! I know that when we converted over to high speed internet service and wireless, it was a world of difference - all positive! Can't even think about going back to what it had been.[tdn] But a word of advice - one must keep the beer cans/bottles/glasses on a separate surface from where the keyboard is located![swg]

Those films at the Emporium featuring baseball are real "winners" this week. Unfortunately, the politics that many of the actors and actresses (can we still call them that[?]) voice, can really can ruin the flicks. It was far easier to watch and enjoy BEFORE knowing the way some of these people think about "things" in our country. I could care less what some over paid "memorization expert" has to say outside the paraemters of the movie industry. [soapbox] Set 'em up, Leon! and Boris ring the bell.

Glad you caught up with the center beam flat car info . . . interesting cars, fer sure, fer sure! Here's another strictly Canadian beauty that you may not see 'round these parts:

Govt of Canada CPWX 607361 Cylindrical Grain Hopper


Awright - time for me to try it again - Nite![zzz]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]