"OUR" PLACE - SEE NEW THREAD!

[coalminer3]

Good Morning All: Coffee, please; $ for a round and jukebox are on the bar.

There has been some talk recently abt. North Ststion in Boston. Herewith, another few pages from the "memory book" abt. North Station and the B&M.

The heart of the Boston and Maine was the utilitarian North Station, a building that crouched along Causeway Street, hemmed in by the elevated trolley tracks and the Manger Hotel and surmounted by Boston Garden.

I always associated North Station with winter even though I traveled from there in all seasons. Maybe it was the name – North Station – that made me think of ice-encrusted freight cars and steam-heated passenger coaches and trains plowing through deep snow “up country.” North Station’s lobby was neither large nor ornate. It was a low, wide space, somewhat dark, with ticket windows on one side and train gates on the other. It was not a space designed for travelers to spend much time. Buying tickets was simple; tell the agent where you wanted to go, pu***he money under the bars in the window and get your ticket and change back with minimal conversation and no wasted motion; a truly New England process.

To the trains, then, ticket in hand. Umbrella sheds protected the platforms and it was always cold under the sheds in the winter, and cool under the sheds in the summer. From North Station, the B&M sent commuter trains to the suburbs and long haul runs to all corners of northern New England, west to New York State, and into Canada. Passengers could not see much as the tracks were close together and it was dark so the scope of operations at North Station was not apparent until a train cleared the umbrella sheds and moved out into an area that was a little more open.

North Station was a busy place with cars and locomotives come to the big city from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Canada. There was also a horde of commuter trains. In the morning, empty trains backed out of the station as loaded trains arrived. In the evening, this complicated ballet occurred again. Loaded outbound trains threaded their way among empty trains backing down from the coach yard to the station. The station tracks quickly narrowed to a pair of drawbridges; truly a yard “throat.” A tower just east of the bridges controlled all of the activity. Bridge tenders were responsible for raising the bridges to allow shipping to pass, which was mostly tows of barges. The tracks fanned out after crossing the bridges. Mystic was next.

Mystic was truly the operational heart of the Boston and Maine. Across the Charles River from North Station, Mystic was in the shadows of the grim walls of what the newspapers always called the “infamous Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown.” Mystic combined freight yards, team tracks, and a coach yard. The Boston Engine Terminal was part of the larger Mystic facility.

The names on the cars in the coach yard told where the B&M went and the places it served. There were coaches, lounge cars, sleepers, RPOs and baggage cars from the Canadian Pacific, Boston and Maine, and Maine Central. Commuter coaches were, of course, most numerous.

The B&M (in common with other New England lines) terminated a lot more freight than it originated, so many offline cars were interspersed with home road cars. Framed by the coach window, I could see cars from far away roads. They snapped by like slides; Chicago and North Western “Route of the 400s,” Milwaukee Road, Santa Fe, SLSF “Ship It On the Frisco,” Union Pacific, Baltimore and Ohio, Chesapeake and Ohio. There were a lot of cars from eastern roads; Pennsylvania (with the keystone and lined PRR letters), New Haven, Maine Central, B&M, of course, and New York Central. Dull red (boxcar red or tuscan) was the predominant color although refrigerator cars were yellow or orange and there were some red, white and blue “State of Maine” cars to break up the monotony.

Sometimes there would be cuts of ratty looking single dome tank cars or loaded and empty coal cars on the yard tracks. There were also indescribably filthy hide cars in the yard along with livestock cars with open, slatted sides. Gondolas were there, too, with loads of scrap of other cargo in large wooden crates. There I could see flat cars with loads of machinery or other equipment, sometimes in the open and sometimes covered with tarps. In any case, freight on flat cars was blocked and tied down to keep the loads from shifting.

The engine terminal was a wondrous combination of steam and diesel engines of different types. At the clangorous steam shop, the fleet of aging Pacifics, Atlantics, and Moguls received inspections and running repairs. I also saw 4-8-2s at the steam shop. These engines had enormous pedestal tenders. The diesel house, newer and much cleaner than the steam shop, handled all types of Alco RS-type units and EMD E units from passenger trains and FTs and geeps from freights.

The B&M's splendid red and gold color scheme was highlighted by a herald of the Concord Minute Man. B&M engines shared terminal space with Maine Central's green and gold units that came down from the north on passenger trains. Painted a light green, an E unit's engine compartment was hot and noisy even when the engine was idling.

Steam engines pulled commuter trains when I was young. Diesel power replaced steam in the mid 50s. Every business day a fleet of Alco RS and EMD GP7-powered trains converged on North Station to discharge a host of businessmen, secretaries and others who worked in the city. The B&M's wine-red commuter cars were, at best, spartan. Air conditioning did not exist as steam heat tried to subdue New England's winters and open windows did their best to cope with summer heat and humidity.


The Bruins and Celtics played at Boston Garden (built atop North Station). Other events such as professional wrestling and the circus took place at the Garden, too. My grandmother, who bet on anything that moved, passionately loved professional wrestling. Her two favorite wrestlers were Ed "Strangler" Lewis, and Gorgeous George. The most hated villain was the lantern-jawed blue-jowled "Killer" Kowalski, master of the dreaded claw hold.

Over on the main line west from Boston, Waltham was a good place to watch trains, and it wasn' t too far from home, which made it even better. The Boston and Maine's tracks at Waltham were on the north side of the Charles River. Moody Street crossed the Charles on a concrete bridge and the Waltham station was just east of the Moody Street crossing. The Waltham station was a barnlike building with a tower. Sets of hand-cranked crossing gates stopped traffic on Moody Street to let the trains go through.

There was quite a bit of freight traffic that passed through Waltham and a number of passenger trains which contributed to frequent traffic jams as the gates would bang down and a train would cross Moody Street. A bulk oil plant (Gulf, I think) was just west of the Moody Street crossing and it was not unusual to find a red and gold or red white and black B&M switcher moving filthy black tank cars. The Alcos that were my favorites with the distinctive chirping sound they made while under load. If I was lucky, I'd get to see a freight train gathering speed as it left Boston. Most of the freights carried a mixture of boxcars, refrigerator cars, gondolas, tanks, and some flat cars.

Have a good one - I'll pick up fish fries on the way home.

work safe

[Anonymous]

Mornin' Cindy your lookin' delicious fresh as a daisy, cuppa Maxwell Master Blend and a Hot Cross Bun if you please dear girl. I'd fetch it myself but my knee is acting up again.[:-^] [Ahh, Cindy does have the "right moves," eh lads?] Sorry I missed Tom and Awk. I brought some ballast bird seed for our "fine feathered friend."

Pete, glad to greet another early riser. Thanks so much for the scoop on U.K. "petrol electrics." It seems to be slim pickens even with Nicks supplement. I don't know of any U.S. full-width benches, unless in the very early days of steam (when stops were frequent) cars may have had them. I would love to make a "all a'shore, who's going a'shore" trek to the U.K.[:D] My only exposure has been a couple of layovers at Gatway (Tampa-London-Dublin). What I saw I liked and had one of the best English breakfasts in Christendom at the Terminal. Can't say I'm a BA fan but airlines in general aren't exactly my idea of regal trappings.[2c]

Hey Gunns, good Pennsy pix on tne K-4 thread. Something about the bell pyre boilers on their locos that smacks of european designs. With some sheet metal shrouding to hide the pumps, pipes, etc., some classes could pass for British counterparts. My favorite steam remains with Southern Rwy., B&O, Frisco, A.T. & S.F., N.Y.C and the venerable Nickle Plate Lima Berkshires (2-8-4) leading the rosters.

Say, I don't want to open another "Pandora's Box," but I'll wager that each of you has at least one prototype loco and or passenger car style that literally "hurts your eyes." If one or more diesels, steam, passenger, freight, interurban, commuter, etc. come to mind; why not share your "Ugly Duckling" with the membership? Imagine your least favorite livery gracing the lines of your "least favorite" piece of rolling stock and locomotive and then: "let fly." We should, in no time, be able to lash up the "World's Ugliest Consist" for all to appreciate.[(-D]

Sorry there weren't more folks here to enjoy the Fish and Chips yesterday. Now, every Tabby in the Village has decended upon the "Our" Place dumpster. Their numbers are legion and I can tell you that Awk doesn't appreciate this infusion of furry felines festooned for furlongs fostering future families for one finite flick of the fob!.[:O] A.P.B.: Everyone here knows tomorrow is Rob's Birthday Bash. Let's all have a good showing 10:00 p.m. Eastern for his "mid life crisis" big 34. Okay Cindy, thanks and best regards to Tom. Happy rails all.

[siberianmo]

FRIDAY’s NEWS & SUMMARY of RECENT POSTS



The 2,000th Post at "Our" Place belongs to Theodore Bear Ted[yeah][wow]

News of the Day:

(1) Repeat Consider helping those who are suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

(2) Reminder! Birthday Bash for trolleyboy Rob tomorrow, Sep 10th at 10 PM (Eastern).

SUMMARY

Name - Date/Time - (Page#) – Remarks

(1) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 00:27:50 (100) Thursday’s News & Summary

(2) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 07:48 (100) required reading!

(3) wrwatkins *** Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 08:18:09 (100)

(4) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 08:49:54 (101) reply to wrwatkins

(5) Theodorebear Ted Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 08:56:44 (101) Post # 2000!

(6) CFournier Chris Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 09:26:16

(7) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 09:31:21 (101) re: Post # 2000!

(8) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 09:50:02 (101) reply to Theodorebear & CFourner

(9) coalminer3 CM3 Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 09:54:20 (101)

(10) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 10:17:51 (101) reply to coalminer3

(11) wrwatkins *** Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 15:29:34 (101)

(12) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 16:23:41 (101) reply to wrwatkins

(13) Theodorebear Ted Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 16:30:05 (101)

(14) passengerfan Al Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 16:44:04 (101)

(15) Trainnut484 Russell Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 17:45:25 (101)

(16) railman1 Richard Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 19:09:50 (101) First Post on Forums

(17) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 19:27:44 (101) reply to railman1

(18) nickinwestwales Nick Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 19:36:17 (101)

(19) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 19:38:20 (101) reply to Theodorebear – passengerfan – Trainnut484

(20) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 19:53:44 (101) reply to nickinwestwales

(21) earlydiesels Dan Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 20:15:42 (101)

(22) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 21:11:12 (101) reply to earlydiesels

(23) pwolfe Pete Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 22:35:55 (101)

(24) siberianmo Tom Posted: 09 Sep 2005, 05:48:17 (102) reply to pwolfe

=======================================
That’s it! [tup][;)]
Tom (Siberianmo) [4:-)] [oX)]
Proprietor of “Our” Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!

[siberianmo]

Mornin' Pete

As always, appreciate your taking the timeto stop by and share your thoughts with us. Nice inclusive Post, by the by! [tup]

Appreciate the round [tup] - although at this time of day, perhaps OJ would be best! [swg]

Gotta run - need to get out the SUMMARY and then I'm away for most of the day. Cindy will be covering the bar, although I don't know just how much of her will be covered! [}:)][:-,]

G'day to you, Sir!

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[pwolfe]

HI TOM and all
A pint of ordinary Bathams unless there is any XXX left and the smoked bacon sounds just right to go with it please.[tup]

ROB I was thinking of the main generator on the subs. I was told that there was a hatch which they could be brought out of. I was also told that if the motor had a major fault and had to be removed a hole had to be cut in the hull and welded up afterwards. this could only be done a couple of times. I do not know if this is true or not [?].

*** the days of the slam-door stock is coming to an end in the U.K. Most of the cars have powered doors although the H.S.T's have the old style open the window to open the door. The cars which were not due for early withdrawel have been fitted with door locks which the conductor releases when the train stops in the depot. There was a spate of people falling out of trains espiecally in an area which became known as the TAMWORTH TRIANGLE. Of course it was the railways fault not the people.

So you have expierenced the old D.M.U.s towards the end they were getting a bit run down but they gave marvellous service and probably saved many a branch line from shutting [tup].

Even fairly late on we had some cars on B.R. which had a upholstered bench running the full width of the car on the walls of the compartment there was framed photos or prints of tourist places served by the railway . these cars were very popular for commuters as they could be loaded and unloaded very quickly.These cars were pressed into service on summer seaside specials where they were much less popular as there was no way to get to a bathroom [oops]. Was there any cars like that over here

I am real sorry you had to suffer the so called "fans" at least they got their just deserts it is only a small minority but they certainly spoil it for the rest[*^_^*].

THEODOREBEAR TED There are a few THUMPERS in preservation with a Hastings unit travelling to parts of the country it never got to in normal service. I hope you can get to the U.K. sometime [tup]

Thanks NICK for the info do you know if the DONEGAL railcars were petrol or diesel [?].

Well Tom can you get BORIS to ring the bell to celebrate the 2000th post and get a round for all and compliments to the[4:-)] and the[C=:-)]

[siberianmo]

Evenin' earlydiesels Dan

We're as good as all of you want us to be ........ [tup]

Cheers to us! [swg]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[Anonymous]

Hello there. a cold house draft, please.Well, Tom, we have passed 100 pages and show no signs of stopping! A subject as multifaceted as classic trains means we might not ever run out of things to say. I've learned a lot here in Our Place and had great fun. Here's to many more good times!

[siberianmo]

Evenin' Nick

Once again, you've saved the day! [tup] Glad you popped in .... beginning to feel a bit like spending some time in The Rat's Patoot Room.

From the looks of things, your fine selections of menu choices may go unordered. Our cyber bar 'n grill patrons don't seem to be in the mood tonite ..... just one of those things I guess. Wait a sec - just one min - here comes the track gang <Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To The Bar We Go, We Pay Two Bits To ..........Hi Ho, Hi Ho> Well, that'll liven up the joint. Sure was slow 'round here and the gals were just bored to tears .... no more! [swg]

Cheers to you and thanx for the brew! To the next 100 pages ..... [yeah] And of course, a Happy Natal Day to Rob 34!

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[siberianmo]

G'day Guys!

A bit surprising this Thursday - given it's our Fish 'n Chips Nite not to have a mention .........

Al Appreciate the elaboration on the station in North Sydney. I'll have to ask my friend, who resides in Sydney, if he recalls whether there was a real station there at one time.

Ted & Russell - thanx for stopping by .......

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[nickinwestwales]

O.K manager TED,I will take up that baton and run with it-----[4:-)]TOM & Awk-a beer or two if you please,this may take some time-so,gas electrics in Britain-not a common beast,most of the gas (petrol) cars over here were low capacity branch line power-most progress in that area went from Railmoters-passenger car with small steam engine attached-to diesel powered multiple- unit stock in fairly short order-Irish narrow gauge lines made extensive use of Railbusses on under-used routes-Most British examples of petrol cars similar to Saurer & De Dion units made in France & Belgium-pix of the 2 ex S.R units on the W,C&P going to [4:-)]TOM,along with the 2 Terriers before the topic gets stale.........wont dwell tonight,a touch under the weather after 4 nights of music (everything from "Crazy" by Patsy Cline (& Willie Nelson) to"Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols,with all stops between)-....................................................Heavens to Betsy,I`d almost made the door when somebody mentioned fish & chip night-Boris,pass me a fresh apron,looks like we could be here for a spell----O.K-we have a load of trout left over from the Mountain Dew fishing club contribution to the party,a load of Spicy Ribs from GUNNS,some `straight-from-the-water` Cleddau Bass,some Maine Lobster..(..?..) a whole load of what looks like hedgehog baked in mud,which I wouldnt necessarily recommend, and for the diet-concious,locally smoked bacon & fuselli salad platter,tell me how you like your trout or bass & I will make it happen...........right , a cold Staropramen for me ,a round for the silver throttle`s,golden fishplates,respected stools,valued customers and of course,your good self----GENTLEMEN-A TOAST-The next hundred pages-right,off to the kitchen to administer some "summary justice"-ENJOY-nick[C=:-)]

[siberianmo]

Hello railman1

You've made your first Post in our cyber bar 'n grill. Are you sure this is where you want to be [?] Can't tell much from your profile, which is where many of us share some personal information with one another - just click on the cyber names in the left hand margins and you'll see what I mean.

If this is where you want to be, I suggest you start at Page 1 and go through them to see the types of things we talk about. If you are unfamiliar with the Forums, let me explain a bit:

Kalmbach, the people who publil***he model railroad and trains magazines, have cyber Forums for each of them where any of us may engage in discussion on the things we are interested in. For example: You are now on the Classic Trains Forum - here is where the talk is primarily about real trains. If your interests are with model railroading - then go over to the Model Railroad Forum .... you'll find all kinds of topics to join in on.

Hope this helps you out ... and good luck on the Forums.

Tom, Proprietor of "Our" Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!

[Anonymous]

hello.richard blacksburg va.i model all roads.i have four rdcs.b&o & new haven.

[Trainnut484]

Hello Tom and all [:D] A frosty mug of the freshest brew please.

Congrats to Ted for posting the big 2000

Sorry I don't have info to provide on RDCs, but the pics are great [tup]

BTW I posted a new topic, "The oldest locomotive I've seen in service today is..." on this forum and another one for those who are train watching and see an old classic still in service today. Feel free to post the oldest one you've seen that day. Pics of the locomotive aren't necessary. I just happened to catch the same ones earlier.

Take care,

Russell

[passengerfan]

Good Afternoon Tom, Time for a CR and a round for the house.
On one of your earlier postings you mentioned the stations at Sydney and North Sydney. I can't speak of the one in Sydney as my train trip began and ended at North Sydney. When I last rode that train it was still CN and the station was about a half block walk from the ferry terminal to Newfoundland. As I recall the station was modest but a complete station none the less. I remeber that passengers to and from the ferries did not have to carry their bags as luggage carts were pulled by a small tractor to the ferry. The trains did not hesitate long at North Sydney as they did not want to block the loading of trucks and cars on the ferries. I can't for the life of me remember any more about the station other than it was a small structure with baggage and waiting room. I don't think their was a restaurant but remember a coffee machine and a couple of other vending machines.

[Anonymous]

G'afternoon Tom, "luck of the Irish," eh? Now, if only I were Irish. Tell ya what, I'll be havin' a Bristol Cream along widda Guiness dark yale to wash it down wit. Only to "clear me pipes" don't cha know?[swg] Right, enough of the phony Barry Fitzgerald "takes!"[V] Good you stopped Boris from the 2000 strikes. The last 100 left me with a perforated ear drum and Sparky ("the Torch") O'Hooligan (Mentor's volunteer Fire Marshall) thought it was a "four alarmer!" He called in half the Province's fire lorries, all three.[:(!]

Its been knda quiet here today, probably the "calm before the storm." I couldn't let the North Shore, B.M. R.D.C. theme go by without saying what great memories the discussion brought back. There was something almost surreal about watching those sleek silver beautys gliding along near the shore when the tide was in. I too wish I had taken that route "end to end." "Why is youth wasted on the young?" I had just turned 21 and assumed those trains would be around forever. So, I just rode into Boston for my private lessons (Orchestra Hall) and came back the same day, little concerned they would be nearly gone before I could return.[:(]

Only a word on the "blame game" now being waged by the 20/20 hindsight Gurus of the "pie in the sky" persuasion...RUBBISH![tdn] Crime in the Vacuee's Camps? The N.O. jail inmates were released by the same meticulous methods as the evacuation itself...duh, where'd they go, where'd they go? Now that racism has been added to the already toxic waste of Katrina, only one question begs the asking: Who is "casting the first stone?"

Don't want to take up a lot of space at this sitting, so I'll bid all a fond farewell 'til next time. Oh, some new Life Like HO locos in Walther's Sale Catalog(ue) this month. That U.S.R.A. New Haven 0-8-0 looks mighty good. Happy rails.[:D]

[siberianmo]

G'day ***

Twice in one day! Whatillyahave [?] Didn't catch your order ....... I'll withhold the Rules Violation - Rule #2 - failure to order a drink - given that your Post was extremely interesting ......... [swg]

Your very own working vintage slot machine! What I would have given once upon a time for something like that. No longer have the interest nor the space, but when I did - man that would have been something indeed. The basement is all train room now, or most of it. No free space for any more toys!

Given that you've had a career taking you to Europe, Africa and other places, undoubtedly you've got more stories to share with us! Always appreciate what you have to Post and there is relevance to our subject of Classic Trains. They don't have to be just U.S. or Canadian to qualify ..... [tup]

By the by - surely you Posted that story as a [bday] gift for Rob's 34th!

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[Anonymous]

Tom-If you would have a dollar bill changer installed on the juke box I would gladly feed it a few greenbacks. I have a 1940 vintage mechanical quarter slot machine from the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in our great room. I save all of my quarters to feed it. Whenever I get the urge to go to Vegas I pull out a tube ($10 worth) of quarters and run them through the machine. The slot is set to about an 80% payout over time. If you start out with 100 quarters after running them all through you will have 80 quarters. Run these through and you have 64 quarters. Following this logic you will have 51, 41, 33, 26, 21, 17, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, and ZERO. This is called the rule of gamblers ruin, although I have fun for 20 minutes loosing my money. The good thing is that I have a key which permits me to recycle the quarters. For some silly reason the casinos in Las Vegas frown on me using my key. Cannot understand why. I am fond of the slot machine as it is a Mills brand. I remember them from my youth in WVa as my father wuld go to the American Legion hall and play the slots. Lots of times I would go with him and shoot a little pool. Could not play the slots myself as they said I was too young. Do not know what difference that made as slot machines were illegal in West Virginia. Oh, the fond childhood memories that we have.

How does this all tie into Classic Trains? The main line of the Pennsylvania between Pittsburgh and St. Louis was just across the Ohio River from my home town. (I realize this is a little stretch for trains).

I will finish with a real train story. As you know I have ridden trains all over Europe. One of my favorite rides was on the Scandanavian-Holland Express. The train started in Stockholm Sweden, crossed from Helsingborg Sweden to Helsinger Denmark on a ferry then to Copenhaven where I boarded it. It was a fast 45 minute rut to Rodby where the engine was uncoupled from the front, a switch engine coupled on the rear and pushed the coaches to Rodby Havn and on the Dansk Staats Bahn ferry to Putgarten Germany, It took less than one minute from the time the coaches entered the ferry until it was underway. The ferry ride was 2 1/2 hours and I had the Angleterre Hotel in Copenhaven pack me a sandwich. Their definition of a sandwich is a little different than mine, but it was good. In Putgaten the ferry stopped and the road engine was already backing onto the ferry to retrieve the coaches. If I ever decide to write a book I have the perfect title: Rodby Putgarten. Off and running we were across Germany.

The conductor/customs officers were unique. I was in a compartment with five other passengers. The compartment was similar to the English campartments discussed in an earlier submittal, except there was no outside door. In Denmark the conductor opened the door and said in a very pleasant voice "Good morning. May I please see your tickets and passports? And "Thank you, have a nice trip". In Germany the door was slammed open and "PASSPORTS" was heard in a loud unfriendly commanding voice. No thank yous were given. I almost jumped up, clicked my heels together, and gave the Nazi salute. (That would not have been a cool move)

Each station in Germany was interesting. Some were very ornate and some were very modern. You could tell which ones had been bombed in WW2. At each station a coach or two would be removed and a couple more added to the train. The removed coaches were going to different destinations in Europe. We even had a coach that started out in Vladivostok Siberia five days earlier, although it had a truck (bogie) change at the Soviet Union-Poland border. (This trip was before the break up of the Soviet Union).

On the train there were a bunch of drunk English Soccar fans coming back from a match in Stockholm. At every station in Germany they would open the window and sing "Hail Britannia" or "We Won the War". I really felt sorry for the good German citizens on the station platforms, who probably had no part in the war, who had to put up with this tirade. As the train went on they got drunker and drunker and louder.

At Bentheim, near the German-Dutch border the red German locomotive was cut off and replaced with a yellow Dutch locomotive. Run through power would not work as there was a voltage difference between the two countries. The drunks kept up their noise. As we entered the second station in the Netherlands there were about 20 police officers on the platform. They boarded the train, hand cuffed the rowdys, and locked them in the baggage car. At the next station was a bus to haul them off to the jail. I always thought the Dutch were a quiet easy going people, but remember about 4 months prior to this ride the Dutch police broke up the Moloccan Terrorists who hijacked a commuter train. Guess they had practice with such a problem.

We finally rrived at Centrum Station in The Hague where I disembarked. Stayed in a hotel across the street from the station andthe next day took the KLM flight back to reality. The train went on to Hoek van Holland where it again boarded a ferry to the United Kingdom (In the days before the Chunnel).

I have taken this ride (or oart of it) from Lingen Germany to Schipol Airport. There is a station under the airport with escallators from the train platform that terminate at the check in counters for the plane. Talk about a great mode change.

All for now.

cheers,
***

[siberianmo]

Mornin' CM3

Thanx for the round and roll of quarters for ole Juke ... appreciated! [tup] Boris do it again! Just once ....... [yeah], that's it!

Gas last time I checked, was $2.97 and projected to drop perhaps a dime over the weekend. Still far 'n away bad news for those who depend on fuel prices for a living ... can't win for losing.

Thanx for the pending research into my request. Really appreciate it! [tup] Funny, in the years I rode that line, I never took it to the end and back. Have no idea why not - just didn't. It was only a shorta hual from Melrose to North Station - but a great trip it was. I especially liked it in winter - those RDC's were fantastic. Of course, the plow up ahead, helped a lot! [swg]

We've had a few milestones this week, eh [?] 100 pages - 2,000 posts and of course, trolleyboy Rob's 34th Birthday. Never a dull moment in front of, behind and under the bar! [;)]

Catch ya later!

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[coalminer3]

Good Morning all (In front, of, behind, and under the bar). 100 pp. EXCELLENT! As always, a round for the house, quarters for the jukebox, and coffee for me. Beautiful here today; gas has dropped to $2.99/gal. for regular. Got my regular vehicle out of the shop this a.m. and gassed up on the way to work - it would have been a lot worse last week.

I'll go through the stack of stuff and get the North Station routing you requested.

I do, however, have the Lexington Branch stations memorized. North Station, North Cambridge, Lake Street Arlington, Arlington Hts (Back in the day), East Lexington, Monroe, Pierces Bridge, Lexington, North Lexington, and Bedford (most of it's a bike trail now). I recall 2-6-0s. 2-8-0s, and 4-6-2s in days of steam; later replaced by gp7s or RS3s on the passenger trains, then by the RDCs. I am working on a piece abt. all of that which I hope to share with everyone in the not too distant future.

work safe

[siberianmo]

G'day Guys!

Nice to see ya this AM Ted 'n Chris

Looks like you nearly had a double there, Chris - missed the 2,000th by ONE! Congrats to you Ted .... we're on a roll 'round here these days it seems! [swg]

I'm sure Rob appreciates the [bday] wishes and I don't expect we'll see him 'round here until late tonight - that's kinda been his routine as of late. Anyway, he'll be here on Saturday for his 34th Birthday Bash!. [yeah]

Nice inclusive Post, Ted [tup][tup]

I'll have to check with my friend and neighbor regarding his '98 Ford 150 - undoubtedly on the way in for the recall. My oh my - what did we ever do before the recalls [?] Hey! I know - pay the repair bills, over 'n over 'n over ........ these things may be aggravating, but I like the fact that someone is in fact looking out after us, since if left to the manufacturers, we'd be paying through the nose ......

My thanx to all of you who took the time to acknowledge our 100th Post and thus far, wishing Rob a [bday]!

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[siberianmo]

The 2000th Post at "Our" Place belongs to Theodorebear Ted[yeah][wow]

Congrats! Drinks on the house! Boris - NO - not 2,000 times - just ring the bell once, puleeeeeeze! [swg]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[CFournier]

Happy Birthday ROB![bday][;)]You may have any cyber drink you like on me.
I'm wishing you the best my young friend!
I will not be online on the 10th on account of my still troublesome internet connection at home...
Good day TOM, you always do a fine job as barkeep around this place.
See you later, CHRIS

[Anonymous]

Big 100 and a worthy century mark if ever there was one. Tom, lets all have "one by each" of whatever and a double "rot gut" for ***. Let's see, that would be 3.2% Jax Beer if memory serves. [aside: Say, what is that odor? Oh, just another Ford 150 pick up truck burning to the ground. Wonder if it has had Friestone tires?] Its great to have so many "Regulars" pop in to "wash down the old and ring in the new." CLANG...not yet Boris...not yet![:(!] As I was saying: Here's to the next 100 pages and may they be as informative and meaningful as the last; hear hear.[:D]

CM 3, yes the old Essex was a "trip" to be sure. I entered my hotel room to find a local Pigeon in residence (no screens). Still, I had a good view over looking S. Station and the attendant hustle and bustle. However, I wish we could have remained on our Pullmans as we did on other rail movements. For memories sake, I "ankled" over to North Station and took the B M to Beverly, MA. where I did "Summer Stock" in 1959. Saw some old friends, returned and had a great lobster at Durgan (Sp?) Park.[dinner][^]

Pete, thanks for the reminder of Nick's previous post on the Class 101's. I may have caught a glimpse of a few "Thumpers" when I did a "run out" to Belfast from Dublin. Not really sure what I was looking at, however. Say, that is one fast train (Belfast Express non-stop). I had a pleasant conversation on the return with a native born Londoner. BTW, no offense (I hope) to present company, but Belfast was the only city on that Island that made sense to my provencial U.S. habits.[#oops]

Barndad, now wouldn't that 4-14-4 make a great restoration project?[:O] Glad to hear the "promotional" rides, food and entertainment, etc. has been succesful. All of us, I'm sure, appreciate the budget limitations on museum's aquisitions and maintaining shops, tools, et al. "Thomas the Tank Engine," outdoor model R.R.'s, T-shirts, souveniers and a lot of things that may seem "busy work," are certainly essential for survival. My hat is off to all of you folks perserving our "Golden Age" of rail transportation and, in my opinion, the greatest era of both Canada and the U.S.[tup][tup][tup]

Rob, a very happy chronologicaly "official" Birthday. Of course, we will "do it up brown" on the Tenth.[:D] You missed the 100th by a whisker but Saturday will eclipse any thought of minor losses. We are so close to the 2000 mark, perhaps we should have both observances at one "Bash?" Right Nick[C=:-)], nearly an alliteration but no "fish plate" unless you count this evening's repast. The "Our" Place Archives of "Nick's Picks" Menus always has open space for your next culinary adventure.[tup]

Okay Boris, I know you have Bell Pealer's Cramp but duty calls and neither "snow, wind, hail..." shall prevent the 'Pail' from going through. OOOH![:I]

[siberianmo]

Howdy ***[C):-)]

That's the price one pays for being a Texan ... Howwwwwwwwwwwwdy! [swg]

Okay - 'nuf of that. Check out this URL regarding the train called the Atlantic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_(passenger_train)

GO TO THE DISAMBIGUATION button - CLICK - then scroll down to Atlantic (passenger train) - CLICK.

There's far more info in this write up than I could possibly do justice to herein.

Regarding the VIA Rail Bras D'Or excursion train: Keep in mind that this train was just that - an all first class excursion running from Halifax to Sydney (Cape Breton) on Tuesday's in the warmer months (May thru end of September, originally - then extended into October). There had been no passenger service between Halifax and Cape Breton since the early 90's when the RDC's were layed up. So, this venture was put together by the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism folks up in Sydney and the Cape in order to kick-start a sad economy. The numbers of people riding the train simply didn't justify the expense - sad to say. It was a great trip - left Halifax around 7:30 AM and arrived up at the platform in Sydney about 11 hours later. A slow, but very scenic and enjoyable ride. Breakfast and lunch served at the seats - excellent menu selections. Singers, dancers and story tellers aboard for the entire trip. A hand picked staff from VIA Rail also attending to our needs. If I recall, there were 22 total staff, and 17 passengers on the trip we made! That was early in the 5 years of existence .........

There were some not-so-good features of this trip. The most significant for us was that the return left the following morning at 7:30 AM. That surely didn't provide for any time in Cape Breton. Bad scheduling. Of course, many people stayed up there for a week - went on to Newfoundland by ferry - then caught the return trip by train. For us, we rented a car - toured the area - and drove back to "home" in Bedford/Halifax. VIA Rail picked up the tab for the rental car drop off - it was all part of the inducement to try the Bras D'Or ....

The reason for the discontinuance had more to do with funding from Ottawa than low ridership. VIA Rail's opeating expenses had been slashed and they had to trim ship where they could. Expect other cut backs ........

So, yes - the 'station' was really a let down and I can't tell you if this was the original site when the RDC's were making their way back and forth, or before when regularly scheduled passenger trains made it into Sydney and North Sydney. I believe passengerfan Al can enlighten us on this ..........

The only time I had the pleasure of riding in the 1st class carriages in Europe was back in 1971 when I traveled from Ulm, West Germany to Paris. After a 3 day stay, it was on to Brest in order to meet up with my ship. The trains were fantastic and I really liked those compartments. Of course, one could get a bit claustrophobic, so I took full advantage of the dining car and standing in the passageway, looking out the windows.

As far as I know, I'm the only living Weber from my branch on the evolution bush, aside from my offspring that is.

Sorry we didn't see you 'round here for the Picnic nor for the 100th Page celebration.

Appreciate your taking the time to stop in ..... [tup]

Catch ya later .......

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[Anonymous]

Good morning Tom et al

I think I will have a mug of strong black coffee. It still is pretty early in the morning to break out the good stuff. Besides in Texas yhou cannot sell liquor before 10 AM. I guess they want you to sober up before going on another binge. Tom-No offense meant regarding rot gut. I always order a call drink rather than a generic one which is made from well liquors. Some of the stuff that bars have for well liquors I use at home for cleaning out old paint brushes. So no offense meant as I was unaware of the premium well liquors we have behind the bar. Speaking of good wine I have a couple that I like. The secret is to find a good wine without spending the next paycheck on it. Two of my favorites are Brown Brothers and Santa Alica. Both are Cabernets with Brown Brothers coming from Australia and costing about $11 per bottle. Santa Alica comes from either Chile or Argentina and costs $8 per bottle. Our local store has both, although they may be hard to locate everywhere. Nothing beats a good cab, a loaf of good bread, and some stilton cheeze. We make this our supper often while sitting on our boat dock. As I say "I am not under the alfluence of incohol as some feeple pink I am"

Oh, I digress. Our mission here is classic trains and Tom I will go to your favorite area-the Maritime provinces of Canada. VIA used to have the Bras d Or train between Montrael and Sydney that ran once per week during the summer months. Sadly VIA dropped the train last year in a cost cutting measure. While in Sydney last month I looked for the station. All I could find was a small platform near a road crossing with the "SYDNEY" sign on a post. I hope this is not the station that you arrive at in Sydney if you were riding the Bras d Or. The Sydney area reminded me of the Pittsburg-Wheeling area where I am from (FAR FROM). The houses were 1920's vintage basic boxes with tacky front porch enclosures. I am sure that there were better areas of Sydney that we did not see. The steel mill has been closed about five years and removed. All that remains are some slag dumps that are being cleaned up. Along the Esplanade there are several new hotels which surprised me. They said now their business is tourism, which is very seasonal.

Boris, ould you get me a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs with toast. I am a tad hungry. Thanks

I was wondering about Canadian Pacific's operations in the Maritimes, which they withdrew from several years ago. From what I have been able to locate they had their line from Montrael across Maine to St John then a ferry to Nova Scotia. On Nova Scotia they had a line north to Tuoro, south to Yarmouth, and east to Halifax. I do not think they went to Moncton unless on CN tracks. I know CP sold their line across Maine to a couple of short lines, but what happened to the lines on NS? Are they all abandoned or sold to short lines? Was their only way to NS the ferry from St. John or did they have trackage rights on CN for a total rail connection? I know the Intercolonial railway was built by Ottawa to connect the Maritimes to the bulk of Canada as most of their trade was south to the US. It is reported that it never made any money which could be the reason for CP pulling out. All of the CN tracks we crossed on our travels in NS looked to be well maintained and capable of good speed service. It is interesting that a few years ago thet CP made an overture to purchase all of the CNlines east of Winnipeg. It would be interesting to know the whole story around this offer. Why pull out then plan to come back a few years later.

PWEBER (any relation to you Tom?) commented on the direct drive RDC type of cars in GB. I remember them running from Staines to Windsor. They did not appear to me to be mechanical marvels as when the were starting it sounded like grinding of gears on a mechanical transmission. Perhaps Coalminer3 can shed some light on this.

Another passing is the removal of the coaches with individual doors for each compartment. I have ridden on this type of car several times in the UK and Europe. Sadly they will be missed although they were falling into a state of disrepair over the last few years. It was always fun to lower the window and reach outside to open the door of your compartment. I guess it will go the way of the steam locomotive and GG1. I also can see the safety concerns with this type of car and the lawyers in the UK are becoming more like their USA counterparts even advertising on the telly in the UK.

The bacon and eggs were TERRIFIC. My compliments to the chef. Better get to work. Will be back later. I will be out of the country the better part of the remainder of the month so if you do not hear from me too often in the next 2-3 weeks I have not fallen off the end of the earth. As MacArthur said in the Phillippines: I shall return.

Thoought for the day: The leadership in New Orleans have done the impossible: They made me appreciate the leadership in Dallas.

Cheers,
***

[siberianmo]

G'day All,

Just a couple of thoughts before we turn to page 101:

Why not rethink the way you browse our bar 'n grill [?] That is, if you don't check the Summaries, why not [?] It's a great way to find out what's going on 'round here - check out who has been in and look for possible responses to your Posts.

Why not maintain a degree of awareness with regard to what's happenin' in "Our" Place[?] It's rather obvious when a Post is made that makes no reference to questions asked - or events taking place (parties, celebrations, etc.). Why embarrass yourself [?]

The idea is to enjoy this thread and to try and improve where we can. All of us can help!

See y'all later! [tup]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[siberianmo]

THURSDAY’s NEWS & SUMMARY of RECENT POSTS



The 100th Page at "Our" Place [yeah][wow]

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO SURVIVE ON THE FORUMS WITH ONLY A RELATIVE HANDFUL OF CONTRIBUTORS!

Al – Chris – CM3 - Dan – Dave – *** - Doug – Jeff – Kevin – Nick - Pete - Rob – Russell – Ted, have one on me! [tup]

News of the Day:

(1) Repeat Consider helping those who are suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

(2) No winners in the 100th Page Contest! Chris, our First Customer and Charter Member, put us over the top at 13:12:28 (Central) on Sep 7th! [yeah][wow]

Chris said September 5th
Russell said September 9th
Nick said September 11th
Al said September 5th (by Noon!)
Doug said September 5th (by 6 PM!)
Rob said September 8th Almost – good guess! [tup]
Dave said September 5th
Pete said September 12th
Dan said September 3rd
Ted said September 16th

Thanx for participating!

(3) [bday] to Rob [bday] to Rob. 34! [wow][yeah]
Reminder! Birthday Bash for trolleyboy Rob Saturday, Sep 10th at 10 PM (Eastern).

(4) Tonight is Fisn ‘n Chips Nite along with whatever else Chief Chef [C=:-)] Nick puts on the Nick’s Picks Menu Board ……. [dinner] begins at 5 PM (all time zones! Don’t ask how we do that ……. [swg])

SUMMARY

Name - Date/Time - (Page#) – Remarks

(1) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 00:21:46 (99) Wednesday’s News & Summary

(2) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 02:12:50 (99)

(3) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 07:08:15 (99) reply to trolleyboy

(4) Theodorebear Ted Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 07:12:13 (99)

(5) earlydiesels Dan Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 07:22:27 (99)

(6) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 10:32:57 (99) reply to Theodorebear

(7) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 10:45:11 (99) reply to early diesels & City of New Orleans

(8) coalminer3 CM3 Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 12:22:15 (99)

(9) passengerfan Al Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 12:37:39 (99)

(10) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 12:40:28 (99) reply to coalminer3

(11) CFournier Chris Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 13:12:28 (100) 100th page

(12) CFournier Chris Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 13:13:47 (100)

(13) CFournier Chris Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 13:15:42 (100)

(14) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 13:27:40 (100) 100th page

(15) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 13:31:43 (100) reply to Chris

(16) wrwatkins *** Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 15:39:10 (100)

(17) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 15:56:27 (100) reply to wrwatkins

(18) pwolfe Pete Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 16:25:51 (100)

(19) Trainnut484 Russell Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 16:25:59 (100)

(20) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 17:00:46 (100) reply to passengerfan – pwolfe – Trainnut484

(21) barndad Doug Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 19:57:08 (100)

(22) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 20:11:13 (100) reply to barndad

(23) nickinwestwales Nick Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 20:42:11 (100)

(24) siberianmo Tom Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 20:51:00 (100) reply to nickinwestwales

(25) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 22:56:53 (100)

(26) Gunns Kevin Posted: 07 Sep 2005, 23:34:10 (100)

(27) siberianmo Tom Posted: 08 Sep 2005, 00:22:13 (100) reply to trolleyboy & Gunns

=======================================
That’s it! [tup][;)]
Tom (Siberianmo) [4:-)] [oX)]
Proprietor of “Our” Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!

[siberianmo]

Evening Guys!

Rob Gotta ask - what's the background regarding your extremely keen interest and information regarding subs [?] Trolleys and underwater vessels, [wow]! [swg]

[yeah] We've made quite a bit of headway 'round here, eh [?] The 100th page is symbollic of longevity and I suppose a bit of success as well. I recall reading of our demise and the futility of threads that are of the open forum types and the like. There are more than a few out there who absolutely detest what we do 'round here. Always makes me wonder why [?] in that one really has the option of not checking in! Oh well - I suppose if the Kalmbach folks took issue with cyber bars, coffee shops, etc., we'd be out of business. Thankfully, they don't and here we are - heading toward 2000 Posts. Now that's something else. [tup][tup][tup][wow][yeah]

[bday] to YOU from the Boyz at the Bar! 34!


Thanx for the round ....... Boris, I'm almost afraid to say - Ring the bell - just once! [swg]

Gunns Short, sweet, and to the point! Thanx .......

See y'all later ......... [zzz]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[Gunns]

Hi Tom
Coffee please,
Great 100 pages
more later,
Gunns

[trolleyboy]

Good evenig Tom and the gang. Happy 100th [tup][yeah][:p] A round of fine conjac and virtual cigars for everyone[^] And we are close to having 2000 practically ,perfect ,posts. Cudos to the barkeep and all of the regular and in Boris's case irregular[alien] members and sundry! Nick I beleave that would be MacMillen yard or "mac" yard that you are referring to. It is immence regular loco running repair intermodal hump yard s you name it the whole enchalada. would have been full steam servicing roundhouse the whole nine yards at one point as well.[bb] Tom I remember that story as well back in the day on the Old BYOB thread, before the amtrak complainers took over. No worries on the subs, more likley as not our govt wanted new equipment at the time. The O class eneded up cheaper and longer lasting than most of the guppy rebuils of old WW2 boats. Many a guppy conversion was sold to amd used by smaller navies though. Turkey , greese and Taiwan come to imediate mind.[V][:(!] Chris Oberon was a brit boat, but was the name ship of the class. Canada had three built, Austrailia 6 Pakistan and India had three or four each and I beleave it was either 18 or 24 for the Royal Navy as well. They were well built, and one of the quietest diesel classes built. pwolfe Not sure which generators you were wondering about , but all "O" class refitt and repair work was done by St Johns shippbuilding in NB or by MIL davie in Montreal. Thanks to you and Nick as well for the continuing info on rail calssics from over'ome.[;)][:p] Ted [/b] No thanks necceassary, not a problem helping you out with your photo delemma's I was glad to be of assistance,[:)] Fairly qiet nite so I'm heading out for now . Have some atual birthday stuff to do with Heather's family tomorrow so I shall see everyone later in the evening. Rob