"OUR" PLACE - SEE NEW THREAD!

[siberianmo]

G'day!

Well, there are times when I must admit to being a bit confused by the comments or the lack thereof! [%-)]

Appreciate seeing Dave - Lars 'n Al stop by . . . [tup]

Thought I'd provide just a wee bit of amplifying info regarding those great looking locomotives featured on the daily Summaries this week:

Alaska RR EMD SD70MACs #4324 & 4324 Denali Star at Anchorage


Now click this URL for a treat!
http://www.alaskarails.org/glance/sd70macs.html

Enjoy! [tup]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[West Coast S]

Afternoon Tom, is it just me or do those 70's look sharp in yellow and blue? It seems taylor made for thse units....I believe those bilevels to be conversions of former commute equiptment of C&NW, SP orgin.. whatever the orgin, the conversion was done first rate, I can see why you and misses want a repeat, heck, think I could even get my wife to go for a sojurn to the great north to experience it firsthand.

Doug, great tunnel article, at least they didn't do like SP and number it incorrectly, seems that while building the the route over the Techappi the contractors under estimated the number of tunnels required, they were off by one, but due to direction and SP practices simply could not use the next number, so tunnel number one half came to be.


Ted, I have a sober WWII survival story from a retired AAF Colonel I know. While on a bombing run to Frankfurt, the B17 was shaken by a unknown force, AA or was there a German fighter hiding in the clouds nearby, nobody was sure, flight control was momentarly lost, a second explosion occured, this time inside the aircraft, shapranel was spred throughout the interior, a moment later he was unable to see and passed out, that's all he recalls, except for waking up in POW camp, seems he had been scalped by some unknown forces, just a small scrap of flesh holding onto the skull was all that remained. Crewman attended to the wound, gave Morophine, and dropped him out of the aircraft by parachute, he was accompinied by a second crewman, they were the only survivors. Except for a nasty scar about the head, he appears to be doing well in his senior years, he has never forgiven the Germans for rendering him hairless!!!


Dave

[siberianmo]

Evenin' Gents!

Back for a second "go," eh Dave [?] Have one on me! Boris ring the bell and we'll get some pitchers back to the pool room for the track gang! [tup]

As always, another interesting tid bit from our Left Coast Connection - scalped in Germany! Now that's gotta be a first.

Your other story regarding those SP rebuilds just goes to show that for everyone with honest intentions, there's a lineup of people waiting to snooker you!

In both cases, always learn something new and interesting 'round this place! [tup]

An Email has been dispatched to you.

For Lars - Given that we hold our Rendezvous at a time when the Cards are playing at home that can always be an optional "thing." As for the Mets being in town, much less "beating up" on my team - we'll just have to wait 'n see. <grin>

REMINDER:
Leon the Night man takes the bar at 9 PM (Central)!

Time for me to get back to watching the Cards and Pirates - 2-zip in the 8th, my team is ahead.

Catch y'all in the AM . . . .

Tom[4:-)] [oX)]

[Anonymous]

Good evening Leon ...and can I just tell you I really don't love this DSL connection? It gets maddenly slow, and, oh yeah, I'll have a bottomless draught please. Wish I knew where all my train books and magazines were, 'cuz the closest I got to finding info on today's topic was the Massachusetts Central, which is close, but no cigar, and I can only play cheerleader today.

hanks for your comments Ted, and glad to hear you're interested in the IRM. Thanks for the MEC info Shane3, as well as the web sites! Nice MEC info from our fearless leader Tom as well, and I agree with you (as did Lars) that our youth can't begin to appreciate the difficulties earlier generations overcame to truely work miracles. I'd love to see the diving equipment these guys were using in 1910 to put in the Detroit-Windsor tunnel! I clicked on your SD70MAC link, and really liked what I saw! Great stuff! As for the expanded IRM visit for the 2007 rendevous itenerary, whatever you guys want to do is fine with me. Thanks for putting me on the list, as I will surely attend!

Thanks for your comments Rob, and the MEC passenger info. Nifty SP employee storie from Dave today, and the "SP tunnel1/2" story. Thanks for your comments Lars, and it looks like you're planning to attend the next rendevous. It will be my pleasure to meet you.

Once again it's time for me to make like buffalo chips ... and hit the trail ... but before I do ..........

[:I] One Sunday, in counting the money in the weekly offering, the pastor of a small church found a pink envelope containing $1,000. It happened again the next week. The following Sunday, he watched as the offering was collected and saw a little old lady put the distinctive pink envelope in the plate. This went on for weeks until the pastor, overcome by curiosity, approached her.
"Ma'am, I couldn't help but notice that you put $1,000 a week in the collection plate," he stated.
"Why yes," she replied, "every week my son sends me money, and I give some of it to the church."
The pastor replied, "That's wonderful. How much does he send you?"
The old lady said, "$10,000 a week."
The pastor was amazed. "Your son is very successful; what does he do for a living?"
"He is a veterinarian," she answered.
"That is an honorable profession," the pastor said. "Where does he practice?"
The old lady said proudly, "In Nevada. He has two cat houses in Las Vegas and one in Reno." [:I]

[wanswheel]

Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house

Okay, here's a plan:

Day 1: Tour St. Louis, plus an evening at Busch Stadium, where this rich guy who owns an observation car accidently spills his beer on one in our party. We get to talking, and soon he cellphones to get some strings pulled by a railroad mogul chum who owes him on an unpaid poker debt.

Day 2: We set a new record for speed on a St. Louis to Chicago train.

Day 3: Illinois Railroad Museum in the morning, Wrigley Field in the afternoon.

Yesterday I rode a train for the first time in 10 years. Long Island Rail Road. Yes, 2 separate words, rail and road. The best part was arriving at Penn Station just in time to gawk at a beautiful Acela one platform over, and watch it soundlessly disappear into the distant little spot of sunlight west of the post office. How I wished it could have been a "classic train" of the Pennsylvania or Seaboard, but for what it is it's pretty to look at.

Doug, the Chicago tunnel loco in its natural habitat
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ggbain/04000/04008r.jpg

Electroliner
http://206.103.49.193/cnsm/htm/cnsm327.htm

Buck and a quarter Electroburger
http://northshoreline.com/diner.html

Eric, here's an old locomotive at Malmo, Sweden
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/ggbain/27100/27106r.jpg

Otto Perry photo MEC engine 412 type 4-6-0 at Portland, August 15, 1937
http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?00012592+OP-12592

4-6-2
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2006060321360622528.jpg&byrail%3A19%3AMaine_Central

Alco
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2006061017372832028.jpg&byrail%3A5%3AMaine_Central

More Alco
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200310232103157637.jpg&byrail%3A91%3AMaine_Central

Boxcar
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200606121921044056.jpg&byrail%3A1%3AMaine_Central

Scenic Route
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2005072417140614888.jpg&byrail%3A45%3AMaine_Central

Train Watching
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2004011720522221881.jpg&byrail%3A84%3AMaine_Central

Track Gang
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200310232120368875.jpg&byrail%3A91%3AMaine_Central

Employees Magazine
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003110800125212768.jpg&byrail%3A89%3AMaine_Central

Bar Harbor Express
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003110800115812735.jpg&byrail%3A89%3AMaine_Central

Special stop, reminds me of a song: Enjoy yourself it's later than you think
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003110800113712718.jpg&byrail%3A90%3AMaine_Central

Jonathon Livingston
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200312122307361844.jpg&byrail%3A87%3AMaine_Central

Dope
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003110800131612790.jpg&byrail%3A89%3AMaine_Central

Say When, put a caboose
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200606071923402048.jpg&byrail%3A12%3AMaine_Central
Mike

[EricX2000]

A very quick note, it is past bedtime. But I am trying to become a regular regular so I'll take a few minutes now. The place is empty, all smart people are asleep.

Thank you Mike for that old picture from Sweden. Where did you find it? That station looks about the same today as it did back then. But now they are running electric trains and some diesels.

Rendezvous in St. Louis in 2007 sounds very interesting. Union Station in St. Louis is not much of a station anymore, but it is still a very interesting place. Tom, please add me to that distribution list. I am very interested.

Have to go, I'll try to be back earlier tomorrow night with some comments.

Eric

[siberianmo]

WEDNESDAY’s INFO & SUMMARY of POSTS


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


Mid-week has arrived! C’mon in – enjoy a cup of freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee – a <light or <traditional breakfast from the Menu Board and of course one or two goodies from The Mentor Village Bakery!


Daily Wisdom


What time is it? You mean now?
ENCORE! Yogi-ism



Info for the Day:

* Weekly Calendar:


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


MVP Award Winners

April 2006 . . . LoveDome Lars
May – June . . To be announced


[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]



Comedy Corner


[:I] Finally sick of the stress Tom quits his job and buys 50 acres of land in Alaska as far from humanity as possible. He sees the postman once a week and gets groceries once a month. Otherwise it's total peace and quiet.

After six months or so, of almost total isolation, there's a knock on his door. He opens it and a huge, bearded man is standing there.

"Name's Lars, your neighbor from forty miles up the road. Having a Christmas party Friday night... Thought you might like to come. About 5:00."

"Great", says Tom, "after six months out here I'm ready to meet some local folks. Thank you."

As Lars is leaving, he stops. "Gotta warn you......be some drinkin'."

"Not a problem" says Tom. " I can drink with the best of 'em."

Again, the big man starts to leave and stops. "More 'n' likely gonna be some fightin' too."

"Well, I get along with people, I'll be all right. Thanks again."

"More'n likely be some wild sex, too,"

"Now that's really not a problem" says Tom, warming to the idea. "I've been all alone for six months.

I'll definitely be there! ........... By the way, what should I wear?"

"Don't much matter ..... Just gonna be the two of us." [:I]


[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]



The Mentor Village Emporium Theatre

Double Features and Three Stooges Short Subject!

NOW SHOWING:

. . . Sunday, June 11th thru June 17th: Major League II (1994) starring: Tom Berenger & Charlie Sheen –and- Mr. Baseball (1992) starring: Tom Selleck, K. Taukura & A. Takanashi. SHORT: Hoi Poloi (1935).

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

. . . Sunday, June 18th thru June 24th: League of Their Own (1992) starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis & Madonna – and – Memphis Belle (1990) starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan. SHORT: Three Little Bears (1935).



SUMMARY

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

(1) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 00:39:32 (352) Count Robulla’s Inclusive Post ‘n 2 Lancaster Pix! [tup]

(2) Theodorebear Ted Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 06:07:54 (352) Inclusive Gulf Coast report!

(3) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 06:17:51 (352) Tuesday’s Info & 11-Post Summary

(4) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 07:11:32 (352) RR from Yesteryear Announcement!

(5) coalminer3 CM3 Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 07:58:16 (353) WVA report ‘n THEME: MEC

(6) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 10:00:04 (353) RR from Yesteryear – Maine Central (MEC)

(7) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 11:39:33 (353) Daylite Inclusive Post!

(8) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 11:56:23 (353) THEME: MEC

(9) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 13:16:00 (353) Acknowledgments ‘n Comments

(10) West Coast S Dave Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 13:49:37 (353) Left Coast report!

(11) LoveDomes Lars Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 14:24:07 (353) Larsman Report ‘n THEME URLs

(12) passengerfan Al Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 15:46:32 (353) Brief visit

(13) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 17:08:30 (353) THEME: Fallen Flag: MEC

(14) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 17:44:09 (353) Comments & Pix

(15) West Coast S Dave Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 18:28:12 (353) Left Coast Report, part deux!

(16) siberianmo Tom Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 20:04:11 (353) Comments

(17) barndad Doug Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 21:28:44 (353) Barnyard Chat ‘n Joke!

(18) wanswheel Mike Posted: 13 Jun 2006, 21:32:31 (353) THEME URLs, etc.




That’s it! [tup][;)]


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

[Anonymous]

Good Wednesday moring to each and all. Tom, I'll grab a jar of Joe and one of those Boston Cream Puffs in hono(u)r of the MEC and the 50 or so short lines that comprised the final roster. CM3 did a fine job of "breaking the ice" and this from personal "hands on," "real life" encounters of the "third kind."[^] ZOUNDS! I started this excersize at 5:00 a.m.; here it is 7:34 a.m. and guess what? I still haven't covered all the URLs, Links or full text posts![tup] Tom, did you know Main Central would have broken the levees? Starting at the end and in reverse order: Eric was "burning the midnight oil" in order to say hello and give a vote of confidence on next year's Rendesvous possibilities. Good to see you again Sir. Waneswheel Mike, lot'sa good follow up on the C.N.S. & M. via URLs and nice pix of MEC locos. I still don't know how you do it...DUH! Doug, don't feel "out of sync" with a lack of data on some New England Roads. In the scope of U.S. R.R. Lines, this a microcosom but a most interesting one considering MEC's place in R.R. development of early years to the present. Glad to hear favorable thoughts on Rendesvous 2007. Dave...half a tunnel? This is what happens when bureaucratic management collapses under its' own weight. That W.W. II story addresses the question of what was the original explosion on board? A ME-262, 20 m.m. canon perhaps? Any road, I agree the A.R.R. SD-70.s never looked better. Lars, maybe I'll "hang out" at Union Station while the Cards and Mets settle old scores. Good luck "up-state" when the time comes.[tup] Going back a few years to the "missing rolling stock," I seem to recall a flap involving the H. N.Y. and N.H being involved with bogus record keeping on their inventories. Rob, as always when the "ball is in your court" you always come through. The MEC is no exception. Now finally, Tom, I have learned more in 3 hours than 68 years previous on the background of so many different Roads in the total mix of the venereable Main Central...good pick! With that said, I'm late getting away even now, so I bid you thanks for the thoughts on Alberto's brief scare in the media.[swg] [You don't suppose they are trying to sell newspapaers, do you?] Please include me in the e-mails for next year's Rendesvous. In the meatime, I can't be in tomorrow a.m. but will try later. More coming in on the "reverse mortgagae" concept. So long for now, yes you too Boris, especially if you are walking them.[alien]

[coalminer3]

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

Dave – Nothing like equipment “sharing” and equitable “car distribution.” Of, course nobody does that sort of thing today (LOL). The Kaiser train was a reminder of past glories, for certain.

Lars is here – My boys get to play the Mets pretty soon. Wonder what chances are for a Pedro-Schilling match up? The one between Santana and Schilling last night lived up to advance billing (more than they usually do). Tom knows I am a Red Sox and a Cards fan.

Tom – Thanks for the ARR information on the SD70s. The cab interior is quite something and the EMD demo shot was a good one!

Mike gave us some URLs on the Maine Central. A few words of amplification (that's my one big word for today!)

The shot of MEC 302 is an example of the black/white/red scheme I mentioned in my post (the picture had a slight color shift). Then they added a modern herald under the cab.

MEC 334 and 335 picture along the river – (now, assume proper Maine accent) – they ain’t no Alcos; them are EMDs.

The picture titled Scenic Rte was shot on the Mountain Division. Train RY2 was a Rigby-St. Johnsbury job. The lead unit is a U18B.

Today is modeling day and here are two sites worth a visit.

The first one is abt. the Gorre and Daphetid. Some of you may remember this road being used as background for Varney ads back in the day; also John Allen was a prolific contributor to MR. The photo galleries have a lot of interesting items which you can enlarge in the usual way.

http://gdlines.com/

The next is for the N scalers in the crowd. It covers the Cumberland Valley. Click on the links and see a most interesting layout. For those of us who model railroads form that part of the world, it is a most interesting site

http://hometown.aol.com/bjdento/index.htm

Finally (this one will kill several evening’s time) I commend the following baseball-related site to you. I beg our ‘steamed proprietor’s forbearance, but this is one of the best I have ever seen. Follow the links and enjoy!

http://www.ballparktour.com/

work safe

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

A beautiful start to the day here in mid-continent USA with clear skies and comfortable temps – should reach the low 80s (F) today. But watch out – end of week and weekend we’ll be back in the 90s. Humidity has been oddly low, which makes things around here kinda like San Diego, for those of you who KNOW! [swg]


2007 Rendezvous in St. Louis preliminary info:
The Email “distribution list” now includes: Rob – Ted – Pete - Doug – Lars ‘n Eric. I’ll probably get something going next week. Anyone interested in getting “in” on this only needs to let me know!


We had a very interesting and successful Tuesday ‘round the place and the diversity of Posts were very interesting to say the least. Missed our “traditional” input from 20 Fingers Al – although he did “drop” one on us over on “my other Thread!” [swg]
Appreciate the return to “normalcy” guys!


Thanx for the night time visit, Doug – took a break from getting your temporary digs squared away, eh [?] Well, this is THE place to do it! [tup]

With the mounting interest in the IRM I see that “extra” day becoming a distinct possibility for our 2007 Rendezvous in St. Louis!


Wonderful spate of URLs from you URLMeisterMonsterMike and perhaps you can share some LIRR observations with us. Been so long since I’ve ridden the route that I’ve pretty much reduced those memories to “foggy.”

I enjoyed the URLs, especially those you found for the MEC. Good stuff! [tup]


Once again, appreciate your taking the time to stop by, Eric and we’ll keep a light on for you if early, early AM is your preferred time. Leon the Night Man enjoys the company! [swg]

You are correct regarding the St. Louis Union Station in that it is NOT a rail hub or any kind. The only ‘activity’ we once had has departed for KCity and that was an excursion train operated by Rail America for dinner trains, parties and the like. Amtrak departed the place in 1978 as a “condition” of renovation.

The folks who put the station back together, Rouse Company., did a marvelous job in restoration. They brought in artisans from Europe for the mosaics, tile work, glass, etc. Really did a fantastic job. Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, South Street Seaport in New York City, Harborplace in Baltimore, Maryland, Waterside in Norfolk, Virginia, Downtown Portland's Pioneer Place, and the Riverwalk of New Orleans are other examples of Rouse’s urban renovation and revitalization projects. They don’t come cheap and prefer the “upscale” approach to what they do.

Here’s a URL some may find of interest regarding St. Louis Union Station:
http://www.explorestlouis.com/factSheets/fact_unionStat.asp?PageType=4


Good to see Ted swing by with his AM cheerfulness. So you’re running late – volunteers are ‘authorized’ to do that! Last time I looked, volunteer pay hasn’t gone up in a long, long time! [swg] Anyway, glad you enjoyed the MEC a most interesting road and every bit a part of American railroading as the big guys were. [tup]

And – of course you are on the “distribution list” for the 2007 Rendezvous in St. Louis! You’re an “original” . . . in more ways than one, I might add! [swg]


G’day to you, CM3 and a fine Post you’ve provided the crew on this mid-week morning. [tup] Don’t know whether to praise you or bemoan you regarding that baseball URL! [tup] [tdn] I can see where MY TIME will be spent! [swg]

Appreciate the round and quarters, as always! [tup]


I’ll be behind the bar for the day! So, whatillyahave [?]


Tom [4:-)] [oX)]

[siberianmo]

G’day!

Another Toy ‘n Model Trains Day! here at the bar. So, let’s jump right in with this offering from a Euro model maker:


Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.


Märklin



Märklin-Schlafwagen "Mitropa", Spur 0

Märklin (or Maerklin) is a German toy company, founded in 1859. Although it originally specialised in doll house accessories, today it is best known for model railways and technical toys. In some parts of Germany, the company's name is almost synonymous with model railroads. Recently, the third game in the Ticket to Ride board game series was named in their honour.

History

From 1914 to 1999, the company produced mechanical construction sets similar to Meccano and Erector. Between 1967 and 1982 a slotcar system called Märklin Sprint was in production.

Märklin released its first wind-up train with cars that ran on expandable track in 1891, noting that railroad toys had the potential to follow the common practice of doll houses, in which the initial purchase would be enhanced and expanded with more accessories for years after the initial purchase. To this end, Märklin offered additional rolling stock and track with which to expand its boxed sets.

Märklin is responsible for the creation of virtually every popular model railroad gauge or scale, with only noteworthy exceptions being N scale and Wide gauge. In 1891, Märklin defined gauges 1-5 as standards for toy trains and presented them at the Leipzig Toy Fair. They soon became international standards. Märklin followed with O gauge (by some accounts as early as 1895 or as late as 1901), H0 scale in 1935, and the diminutive Z scale in 1972 — this is the smallest commercially available scale, 1:220.

Today, Märklin manufactures and markets trains and accessories in Gauge 1, H0 scale, and Z scale. In 1994 Märklin acquired a Nuremberg based model train manufacturer Trix. Today Trix is another brand of Märklin Holding and covers N-scale and DC operated HO scale. Märklin's older trains are considered highly collectible today, and Märklin's current offerings enjoy premium status among hobbyists.

The Märklin System

The so-called Märklin system is Märklin's technique of using a third rail concealed in the roadbed with only small studs protruding through the ties of the track. The two outer rails are connected electrically. This provides the simplified wiring enjoyed by larger gauges — such as reverse loops — without seriously detracting from the realism of the track because only two of the rails are visible. Because the two outer rails are not electrically isolated from each other, however, some do not consider Märklin's system to be a true three-rail system.

The Märklin system has some incompatibility with other manufacturers' H0 trains. Because the wheels on Märklin's cars are not insulated, it causes shorts if its cars are used on other manufacturers' H0 track without modification. Additionally, for many years Märklin was the only brand that used AC for its H0 scale trains, although recently also Roco has started producing trains for the Märklin system. Some people convert Märklin locomotives to DC for use on DC layouts, and Märklin has begun offering a line of DC locomotives as well, first under the name of HAMO and, after buying Trix under that name.

Märklin System is the brand name for Märklin's new version of proprietary Märklin Digital train control system for H0-scale and 1-scale model trains introduced in 2004. Like Märklin Digital it is used for controlling trains and accessories digitally. The difference is that it has more available addresses, programmable decoders and a feedback-function from the mfx-decoders that helps the control unit identify the locomotives.

Märklin Digital

Märklin was among the first model railway companies to introduce a digital train control system. The Märklin Digital system was introduced in 1984 and jointly developed with Motorola. However, Marklin's system is not compatible wth DCC (Digital Command Control), which was developed by a number of different people and companies and standardized by the NMRA (National Model Railroad association) in the 1990s. Marklin now also offers DCC powered locomotives, however.

Products and Collectables

Over the years, the Märklin marque became valuable to model train collectors, some of the very early models fetching impressive prices on auction. In January 2005, the Märklin museum in Göppingen, Germany, was burglarised and more than 100 pieces, with an estimated value of more than 1 million Euros, were stolen. The items, which included one-of-a-kind prototypes along with pieces that dated back to 1891, were recovered in March 2005.

The range of products is extensive, and collectors also pay attention to the packaging that were used for the products.

The Märklin toy company systematically included a print run number on almost all their printed material, including the boxes in which their products shipped. These print run numbers indicate the printer and also the month and year of printing. This is very useful for dating an item that is known to be associated with some printed material. The second group of digits indicates the catalogue number. The last set of numeric digits in the print run number indicates the month and year that the item was printed. The last group of letters identifies the printer.


Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Diesel Photo Gallery from other sources


Märklin (AC) 36790 – AUSTRIA - DGTL CL 2016 "HERCULES" LOCO(E)06 NI




Märklin (AC) 37612 - U.S. - DGTL ALCO TYPE PA-1 LOCO (E) 06 NI




Märklin (AC) 37667 - Denmark -DGTL MY 1100 DIESEL LOCO (E) 06 NI




Märklin AC) 39800 - Germany - DGTL V 200.0 DIESEL LOCO (L) 06 NI




Märklin (AC) 37746 - Italy - DGTL FS CARGO DIESEL LOCO (E) 05




Märklin (AC) 37271 - Belgium - DGTL CL 59 DIESEL LOCO (E) 06 NI


***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****



Enjoy!

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


REMINDER!
PLEASE read the Daily Summaries!

[LoveDomes]

Hiya Cap’n Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!


And so two things remain constant: my Mets remain winning and in 1st place and it’s Toy & Model Train Day! at the bar! [swg] [tup] Set ‘em up barkeep – here’s a ten spot to cover it. If you need more, take it out of “The Lars Box!” <grin>

Ok – so what’s up ‘round the watering hole today [?] Some early visits but nothing since. Mid-week blahs perhaps [?]

I’ll be heading out on Monday for my business upstate – the lawyer has everything set for our hearing on Tuesday. Should be a no-brainer, but then again – I’m not counting any chickens if you know what I mean!

B4 I totally forget, you gotta check out a pix over on “your other thread” – Art provided a very interesting RDC shot and I’m awaiting your comments! [tup]

You should be proud of me – I refrained from overloading my mouth yesterday after observing not one, but two “fopars” here at the bar. Grin ‘n bear it is the saying these days. Just irritates me that this stuff continues – thread after thread, forum after forum and now here at the best of ‘em all. <groan>

Between you and Shane I’d say the idea of Toy & Model Trains Day! has been saved. I’m sure not the one to look at as being a resource. My archives are running on empty . . . [swg]
However, I do appreciate both of your efforts and enjoyed browsing through the URLs from Shane – the baseball one is a sure-fire winnAH! But oh so time consuming!! <grrrrrr>

Those people over in Germany sure know how to put together some fine looking model trains, huh[?] I used to drool at some of the professional layouts that Marklin displayed at the more upscale department stores in “the city.” Always liked the look and the way the third (center) rail was concealed. Very well done. Didn’t know they had branched out into U.S. rolling stock – but why not [?] We’re the largest market in the world for just about everything! Nothing but the best for us in the U.S. – keep that trade imbalance working, guys! <groan>

Thanx for adding me to the Rendezvous in St. Louis 2007 list! I’m looking forward to the exchange of ideas as we move through the planning stages. Actually I was just kidding about the ball game – we won’t be there for anything but trains – beer – trains and more beer! Hmmmmm, perhaps a ball game would be appropriate! [swg] To be discussed elsewhere! [tup]

Those Alaska RR locos are mean looking machines – SD70MACs, huh [?] Well, whatever – they sure look like they could pull quite a load from the specs on that URL. Mighty fine stuff. [tup]

I had to do some research regarding those Alaska RR domes you were discussing with Al. You are absolutely correct, no where in the literature provided by the RR do they refer to them as “Ultra Domes,” and I don’t doubt for a second that perhaps the manufacturer may very well keep to that descriptor. But the point is – if the RR elects to call them something else, that’s what we all should call ‘em.

Here’s what the Colorado Railcar people offer on their website:


Alaska Railroad Double Deck Domed Open Platform Railcar



Colorado Railcar Ultra Dome - Celebrity cruise lines


Note: This type car is also used by Princess and Holland America cruise lines in their Alaskan runs.

Also found some newer type Ultra Domes – without the open vestibules:





From what I could determine from Tom’s pix, all of the double-deck cars had the open vestibules – cruise ship versions on the bottom – Alaska RR on top.


That’s it from the Research Dept.!!

I’ll take a frosty cold mug of R&H then I gotta boogie . . . .


Until the next time!


Lars

[siberianmo]

G'day!

You were correct, Lars - "good stuff" happening over on "my other Thread!" Thanx! [tup] Doesn't appear that Art will join us here - but he sure is a "fixture" over there. [tup]

Appreciate the additional info on those Ultrra Domes from the Coloroado Railcar people. Nice work from them and good to realize that we still produce quality railcar products in the U.S.A. (a wee bit of nationalistic pride showing on this Flag Day!

Not much going on 'round the place this afternoon - the doldrums have returned. But, with the "Hit 'n Miss Bar 'n Grill" - one just never knows! <grin>

There's a display of Märklin HO trains out in KCity at the Crown Center mall. A really professional layout with some interesting rolling stock. For anyone interested, it is located on the 3rd level and is called Halls Station - a somewhat upscale hobby storre.

Glad you made it in Lars and I appreciate your resumption of the PM time slot! [tup]

Given your dialogue regarding the 2007 Rendezvous in St. Louis are we to expect your presence in the spring [?] Hope so!

Catch y'all later! [tup]

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[passengerfan]

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

A little more information on the Utradomes. Those single level cars are owned by Rocky Mountain Railtours, Via Rail Canada and the Alaska Railroad. They were built by Colorado Railcar using former CN Baggage Cars. The very first Ultradomes built for Princess Cruises and those Bi-Level cars you see in the other ARR trains were former SP Bi-level commuter cars rebuilt. But those built in the last few years are new from the rail up. The other Railroad cars built by Colorado Railcar are the DMU commuter cars. Available in both single level and double deck and are available as powered or trailers in both versions. These should be near and dear to your heart Tom as they are more modern RDC type. Via Rail operates their single level Ultradomes on the SKEENA between Jasper and Prince Rupert. Those operating on the Alaska Railroad were built for the Florida Fun Train and when that operation went bust the ARR aquired them at Auction. The interior of Bi-level cars from the Florida Fun train were decorated in South Pacific Decor with Palm Fronds and one is named a TIKI Lounge. The ARR operates them as they received them with just a new exterior paint job. The Ultradomes built for Celebrity Cruises were the highest Railroad passenger cars built when delivered at 18' they were also the first of the Ultradomes equipped with elevators so wheelchair bound passengers could enjoy both levels.
The latest design is those built for Holland America and are also being purchased by Rocky Mountain Railtours.

Have to get back to the Office so will drop by later.

TTFN Al

[siberianmo]

G'day Al

Appreciate the info and the round! [tup] [tup]

I stand corrected regarding some earlier references to the VIA Rail use of the Ultra-Domes on the Skeena route to Prince Ruppert from Jasper - they are indeed single levels. I've seen 'em and shudda known better! My apologies . . .

Here's a Pix of one of the three former BC Rail single level domes now assigned to VIA Rail's Skeena at Jasper, Alberta. . . (courtesy: www.trainweb.org).



So, the "issue" of the ARR double-deck domes is closed. They were built in 2005 - as the manufacturer's plate indicates and they were built for the ARR The "rest of the story" is as passengerfan Al states . . . .

An interesting URL on the Colorado Railcar single and double level domes:
http://www.trainweb.org/ultradomes/roster.html

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

Catch y'all in the AM . . . .

Tom[4:-)][oX)]

[trolleyboy]

Good evening Leon, a nice cold kokanee I think sir [tup] I see a fair bit of action has happened the last half of yesterday and today. Nice to see new info flowing again here at our place.

Tom I liked t your piece on Marklin, still one of those trusted brands in europe speacially their N scale equipmnet. I know a fella in my home town that's a huge Trix , Marklin and Flkeishman collector and runner all N for him, quite the card he is. Good to see so much initial intrest in "R2" for St Loo and Chitown [tup] we could do worse [swg]
I'll pass on your photographic kudos to Dave next time we see him at the musuem.He's an ex RCAF guy and his dad was one of the three, CWH members that found and was instrumental in getting the Lancaster for the musuem, so the plane has extra family meaning for Dave.

Lars Nice ultra dome shots sure, as always the Larsman knows his domes[swg]

Al Thanks for giving us the lowdown on the manufacture / remanufacture of the ultra domes. What a wonderfull job was done on them, I can't see any trace of their former herritage as baggage cars when I look at them.Hope the speach went well i do hate public speaking. [tdn]

Dave Good to see you still popping up at the ole bar.Unfortunatly i think all railroads are likley, guilty of abusing the other guys rolling stock and trying to get away with it. I remember many a horour story of WC rolling stock fresh from their shops returning to them in a more decrepite state than they were originally rebuilt from.Paper service and metal service cars ( gondolas coil cars ) seem to always take the biggest beatings while out on the road. That locomotive consist sounded perfectly unusual.

Another one from me. A CN autorack train headoing through bayview jct. Its power was 3 VIA F40PH's ( CN was getting time back on them as they had underwrtten the purchase back when they too were a crown corporation ) A CN M630 and two SW1200 RS's which were in transit to Mac yard.

Cm3 Ahh the old GD lines,the target that all modellers treid to live upto. The N scale road is also an MR and RMC mag classic as many an n scaler's treid to live upto it as well. I consider it the Gorre and Daphetid of n scale. Thanks for sharing the urls.

Doug Hey don't sweat the small stuff. I didn't have much to offer either. Most of what I had / have on the MEC was copyrighted stuff that I couldn't reuse. Most of it was pictures though and Tom did supply enough to give us a feel for the MEC abyway, I wuould have just been repeating stuff. A good choice of road to theme though Tom


Rob

[trolleyboy]

Okay, here's my first "new" piece of info now that we are getting back into the full swing of things here at the ole bar. This is the first of a new series of info from the trolleyboy barns. A new subset of features " Wierd Tales From The Barn"

Wierd Tales From The Barn #1 The Trolley and Teddy Roosevelt


exerpt from a local newspaper.

Once a trolley thretened to become a major player in US Politics.It came within a whisker of killing a US President, and nearly promoted a SecState to the office of the President of the US. Theodore Roosevelt had this run in on a dusty road just outside if Pittsfield Mass.The date was Sept 3 1902, barely a year after President Mackinnley's assasination.The President,Govener Crane of Mass were tooling along in the Presidents open horse drawn landau, pulled by four prancing white horses. Facing them was George B Cortelyou, later the sectratary of Commerce and Labour, and up on the box was the driver and a Secret Service man named William Craig. Five outriders were ridinbg along side in escort of the buggy. They were ahead of thee buggy and were to far away to render assistance,and to add to their mortification another buggy loaded with newspapermen was up ahead of them heading for the same Country Club which was the Presidents destination.

An open trolley, travelling in the same direction as the President's carriage overtook the Presidents carriage.Aboard it were a number of Pittsfields notables including the two top officers of the streetcar company.It was later rumoured and denied that they had ordered the motorman to hurry so that they could get to the Country Club in time to welcome the President.The trolley was in the centre of the road and the Landau on the right, well ahaed of both vehicles was a place where the car tracksswung from the center of the road to the right hand side.Concentrating on his prancing team, and unaware that the trolley was passing, the Landau's driver veered over the tracks.The landau was hit hard on it's rear left wheel and shoved aside,pitching it's occupants into the air.

The President tumbled in the dirt, recieving a bruise on his cheek,a banged knee a cut lip and a severe shaking up.His glasses were knocked flying, his silk hat frazzled, and his frock coat torn at one elbow.According to the NY Times he told the horrorstruck motorman ; " I Think this is the most ***able outrage I ever heard of "Govener Crane abd Secratary Courtelyou only recieved minor injuries; but the Landau driver was seriously hurt and SS agent Craig who stood up the instant of the impact to protect the President was thrown under the trolley and killed. The motorman , Euclid Madden, was fined 500 dollars and jailed for six months. Many Streetcarmen were convinced that Maden was only a victem of bad luck and of newspaper hue and cry.


So a Pittsfield newspaper recollection of Teddy Roosevelt's unfortunate run in with a trolleycar.


Rob

[EricX2000]

Good evening Leon, a cup of coffee please. It is late again, but at least I made it back. Trying to make this a habit.

Tom - I like your post about Märklin. I have a bunch of Märklin locomotives and cars. Bought the first set in 1955. That locomotive is still running, 51 years later. It’s correct that they run on AC, but they work just fine on DC as well. The only problem is that you need to be able to give the loco a 24V “push” in order to change direction. I am sure their new digital models work differently.

Lars - Interesting picture(s) of the Alaska Railroad Double Deck Domed Open Platform Car. I have never seen anything like it before. Must be pretty nice to go outside for a while when you are riding the train. It reminds me about train travel in the old country when I was a kid. Open platforms on older cars. I liked to stand their, looking forward along the side of the train. Getting smoke in my face from the locomotive. The last steam locomotive in passenger service was running until the early 60’s. After that they still had some steamers left in service until 1972. The winter 1965-66 was very long, cold, and snowy. That caused a lot of problem with newer lcomotives and the Swedish State Railways had to put a number of steam engines back into passenger service.

Al - 18’ high passenger cars, I guess they are still the highest passenger cars built. I am reading all your posts about streamliners and domes. Sweden never had any dome cars until a private railroad bought some from Germany in the mid-90’s. Must be a very nice way to travel and see the sights from above.

I have to go, but before I do I will show a couple of pictures of St. Louis Union Station. They are from 1993 so things may have changed. There is a nice hotel inside the former station.







The hotel is the building to the left.

Eric

[Anonymous]

Good morning gents, and I'll have 1/2 a light breakfast please, as I have to off! Pretty good posting yesterday, with St.Louis Union pix from Eric, double-decker observation cars from Lars, an embarrasing Tale from the Barn" from Rob, the Marklin cars from Tom, and the CTC picture from Mike. I didn't get my hobby article done for yesterday, but you'll see one next week. For today, I can offer the 2nd part ofthe Detroit-Windsor article.

Down The Tubes – Vol. 17 Rail Classics – John Uckley

Upper left insert shows the old Michigan Central car ferry used before the tunnel. The ferry was subject to delays of many days during icy winter weather and was slow even in good weather. An MCR electric tunnel locomotive pulls a passenger train into Detroit from Canada through the new tunnel just opened in 1910. A westbound steam passenger train has just departed the Michigan Central station and is headed possibly for Chicago.


The tube sections were submerged in pairs, each for a single track of the double track tunnel. Each section was fitted with air tanks, air escape valves, and attendant piping to aid in sinking them into position in the trench. Divers capped the pipes after each tube was in place. Steel gridiron saddles, projecting about four feet above the trench bottom, were positioned so that each tube section would occupy one-half of each metal saddle. The whole operation was being carried out with tug crews and divers sinking the sections in a Detroit-to-Windsor direction. As soon as the flange of one section was fitted into the socket of the preceding section and a runner gasket maneuvered into position, this area was filled with cement grout to make the joints airtight. A steel wedge was also driven into a slot and pilot pin assembly at the top of the mated sections to ensure a permanent connection.

Only one of the sections failed to line up properly, due to the fact that its air tanks had been prematurely bled. Surveyors discovered this section to be two feet out of line with the rest of the underwater route. After tugs failed in a frustrating attempt at pulling the tube section into line with the aid of a pair of 22-ton anchors, it was decided to send divers down and attach air lines to the tube tanks so that the section could be refloated for a new effort. However, the hand of fate stepped in and solved the problem the following morning. A commodious passenger steamship from Cleveland passed up the river and churned over the underwater construction area. Its powerful wake embraced the errant section and rolled it neatly into its proper place. With this job finished, it was found that there was an alignment error of only 1/8 of an inch over the entire length of the tubes.

Connecting the underwater tubes to the Detroit approach tunnel was accomplished with the aid of a cofferdam. This dam was erected over and around the end of the first tube section. The ground was then five feet above the water’s surface at this location. Water within this dam-created “bay” was pumped out and the connection made between the river tube and the concrete dry land approach tunnel.

On the Windsor side, the link-up was made underwater. A trench was dug out from the unfinished end of the approach tunnel right down to the Detroit River shoreline, coming as close as possible to the water’s edge. A watertight bulkhead had been installed in the outer opening of the concrete approach tunnel to keep the river from flooding in when the tube section was connected by divers. Afterward, the outer trench circumference was filled in with clay to the original land level.

The next procedure involved the pouring of concrete from scows moored in the river. Concrete depth under the tunnel varies from one to six feet. The overall outer tube circumference is protected by three feet of concrete. The outer trench area was packed with gravel to a height of eleven feet above the concreted base. This was then packed with clay and various rubble for added support, thus forming an enduring monolithic casing from end to end.

Michigan Central electric #7505 was built in May, 1910 by American Locomotive Company and General Electric at Schenectady, New York especially for the Detroit River Tunnel service. Behind the locomotive is one of two signal towers built to serve the tunnel.


Water was then pumped from the first five tube sections and initial interior concreting commenced. Workmen applied an 18-inch layer of reinforced concrete. He circular form of the tubes was adhered to until such a height was reached so as to form a bench, which served the purpose of providing conduits for electrical wires and also as a safety walkway. Rail-level-to-walkway ladders were located every fifty feet.

Draining was to be handled by five sumps. The tunnel rails rest on ties that are three feet long; with every fifth tie extended to five feet to provide third rail support. Tunnel signaling was arranged so that a block signal zone extended from portal to portal in each tube.

With the construction of the 1-3/8 mile-long tunnel nearing completion, a modest fleet of electric locomotives was readied for Detroit-Windsor service. The first four units, Nos. 7500-7503, were built in February, 1910. Nos. 7504 and 7505 were erected in May, 1910. Classified as the R-1, these steeple-cab models weighed in at 206,360 lbs. And utilized a tractive force of 50,375 lbs. (Nos. 7500-7505 were later renumbered 160-165.)

The six R-1 electric locomotives built for tunnel service were equipped with truck mounted pick up shoes to collect third rail power. The small roof-mounted pantographs collected current from overhead bus bars in areas where complicated switching track made the third rail installation impractical. The 7502 was retired in 1953 and scrapped in 1956.


Each unit was given animation thanks to 600-volt Direct Current. Couplers and draft gears were attached to massive steel truck assemblies, while the trucks themselves were mated with jointed connectors. By conceiving this stratagem, builder Alco was able to “float” the locomotive frame and cab housing above the trucks; thereby providing much greater flexibility for the electrics while they were engaged in terminal switching maneuvers, ascending or descending the tunnel approach gradients with a heavy load of bouncing and swaying freight cars, and tracking the interior curvature of the underwater tube sections.

Penn Central GP35 leads a train into the tunnel from Detroit in 1974


[:I] An elderly man goes into confession and says to the priest,
"Father, I'm 80 years old, married, have four kids and 11 grandchildren. Last night I had an affair and made love to two 18-year-old girls. Both of them. Twice!"
The priest said, "Well, my son, when was the last time you were in confession?"
"Never, Father, I'm Jewish."
"So then, why are you telling me?"
"Father, it is not just you. I'm telling EVERYBODY!" [:I]

[siberianmo]

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


THURSDAY’s INFO & SUMMARY of POSTS


Thursday has arrived! C’mon in – enjoy a cup of freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee – a <light or <traditional breakfast from the Menu Board and of course one or two goodies from The Mentor Village Bakery!



Daily Wisdom


If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.
ENCORE! Yogi-ism



Info for the Day:


Railroads from Yesteryear –
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad – Nickel Plate Road (NKP)
Arrives Tuesday – watch for it!


* Weekly Calendar:

TODAY: Fish ‘n Chips Nite!
Friday: Pizza Nite! & Steak Nite!
Saturday: Steak ‘n Trimmin’s Nite! – and –
ENCORE! Saturday



MVP Award Winners

April 2006 . . . LoveDome Lars
May – June . . To be announced


[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]


Comedy Corner

Yarns from the Barn
(from barndad Doug’s Posts)


[:I] A guy was sitting quietly reading his paper when his wife walked up behind him and whacked him on the head with a frying pan.
“What the hell was that for?” he asked.
“That was for the piece of paper in your pants pocket with the name Mary Lou written on it,” she replied.
“But you don’t understand,” he pleaded. “Two weeks ago when I went to the races, Mary Lou was the name of one of the horses I bet on.”
“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have known there was a good explanation.”
Three days later he was watching a ball game on TV when she walked up and hit him in the head again, this time with the iron skillet, which knocked him out cold. When he came to, he asked, “What was that for?” he begged.
“Your horse called!” [:I]


[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]



The Mentor Village Emporium Theatre


NOW SHOWING:
Double Features and Three Stooges Short Subject!

. . . Sunday, June 11th thru June 17th: Major League II (1994) starring: Tom Berenger & Charlie Sheen –and- Mr. Baseball (1992) starring: Tom Selleck, K. Taukura & A. Takanashi. SHORT: Hoi Poloi (1935).

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

. . . Sunday, June 18th thru June 24th: League of Their Own (1992) starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis & Madonna – and – Memphis Belle (1990) starring: Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan. SHORT: Three Little Bears (1935).


SUMMARY

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

(1) EricX2000 Eric Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 01:24:08 (353) Early AM visit!

(2) siberianmo Tom Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 07:28:50 (353) Wednesday’s Info & 18-Post Summary

(3) Theodorebear Ted Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 07:46:19 (353) Inclusive Gulf Coast report!

(4) coalminer3 CM3 Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 08:48:45 (353) WVA Report ‘n model trains URLs, etc.

(5) siberianmo Tom Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 10:13:48 (353) Acknowledgments ‘n Comments

(6) siberianmo Tom Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 11:02:39 (353) Toy ‘n Model Trains Day! Märklin

(7) LoveDomes Lars Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 15:01:34 (354) The Larsman Report w/Pix!

(8) siberianmo Tom Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 17:25:47 (354) Acknowledgment ‘n Comments

(9) passengerfan Al Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 18:45:57 (354) Ultra Dome info

(10) siberianmo Tom Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 20:30:05 (354) Ultra Dome info

(11) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 23:25:39 (354) Count Robullas Inclusive Post!

(12) trolleyboy Rob Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 23:55:55 (354) WTB #1 – Trolley & Teddy Roosevelt

(13) EricX2000 Eric Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 23:56:12 (354) Nite Cap ‘n Pix!



That’s it![tup][;)]


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

[siberianmo]

[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]


SOMETHING very SPECIAL arrives on Track #1

THIS morning![tup]

Watch for it at 10 AM!


Tom[4:-)] [oX)]


[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup]

[trolleyboy]

Good morning Tom and the boyz. [;)] I think a # 3 and a thermos of coffee isrequired this am, having trouble openning me peepers today [zzz] Nice to see a few patrons already in today or late yesterday as it goes. [tup]

Eric Nice shots of St Loo U. It's an interesting looking building, the arched roof at first glance makes me think it's a hanger at first look, but what an interesting design. To bad it's not a railhub anymore [sigh] The hotel inside kind of looks like a Puebelo Indian villiage.Still at least it's being used for something instead of being bulldozed for a bunch of mini-malls or something.

Doug Hey I loved part two of the Detroit Tunnel article. What an ordeal to lay out the tubes.Still it's an amazing bit of infrastructure.I had always wondered why such a ridiculously small pan was fitted to those locomotives. At first I remember seeing AF models of them and figured that it was just some poetic licence in the construction of the models. Then I saw actual photo's and just scratched my head. I knew that they were designed for third rail and left it at that. Now that I have read the article it all makes sence now ! [D)][#wstupid]

I see that sir Tom is in at the moment. An unusual occurance for he and I to be in at the same time. Pull up your plush stool there Tom and share a mug or two from my thermos. [tup]

Rob

[siberianmo]

Railroad Stations – Terminals & Depots

Number Two –
New York City’s Grand Central Terminal


Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.


Grand Central Terminal (New York City)


The main concourse in 2006 (GNU Free Documentation)

Grand Central Terminal (often still called Grand Central Station) is a train station at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, a borough of New York City, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Built by the New York Central Railroad (for which it was named) in an era of many long-distance passenger trains, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44, with 67 tracks along them. They are situated on two underground levels with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.

Currently it serves commuters commuting on the Metro North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York, and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. It is also a major station on the New York City Subway.

Although it has been properly called "Grand Central Terminal" for a century, many people continue to refer to it as "Grand Central Station." Technically, that is the name of the nearby post office and New York City Subway station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, as well as the name of a previous station on the site.


Layout

Besides train platforms, Grand Central contains restaurants (the most famous of which is the Oyster Bar), fast food outlets, delis, newsstands, a food market, an annex of the New York Transit Museum and over forty retail stores.

Main Concourse


The clock in the Main Concourse
© 2004 Metropolitan Transportation Authority


Grand Central Terminal, along 42nd Street, next to the Grand Hyatt New York and the Chrysler Building

The Main Concourse is the center of Grand Central. The space is cavernous and usually filled with bustling crowds. The ticket booths are here, although many now stand unused or repurposed since the introduction of ticket vending machines.

The main information booth is in the center of the Concourse. This is a perennial meeting place, and the four-faced clock on top of the information booth is perhaps the most recognizable icon of Grand Central Terminal.


The Redstone missile making a guest appearance

Outside the station, the clock in front of the Grand Central facade facing 42nd Street contains the world’s largest example of Tiffany glass and is surrounded by sculptures carved by the John Donnelly Company of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury. For the terminal building French sculptor Jules-Alexis Coutan created what was at the time of its unveiling, 1914, considered to be the largest sculptural group in the world. It was 48 feet high, the clock in the center having a circumference of 13 feet.

The upper level tracks are reached from the Grand Concourse or from various hallways and passages branching off from it.

Ceiling

In 1999 a 12 year restoration of Grand Central revealed to commuters that the concourse had an elaborately decorated astrological ceiling, painted in 1912 by French artist Paul César Helleu, and which had been obscured by decades of tobacco smoke.

There are two peculiarities to this ceiling. First, the sky is backwards. Second, all of the stars are off by a bit. This is because the ceiling is based on a medieval manuscript. This manuscript visualized the sky as it would look from outside the celestial sphere, which is why the constellations are backwards. As the celestial sphere is an abstraction (stars are all at different distances from the earth, not lying on some sphere), this view doesn't correspond to the actual view from anywhere in the universe. The reason for the displacement of the stars is that the manuscript showed a (reflected) view of the sky in the middle ages, and due to precession of the equinoxes, the stars have all moved.

Dining Concourse

The Dining Concourse is below the Main Concourse. It contains many fast food outlets and restaurants, the world-famous Oyster Bar with its Guastavino tile vaults, and provides access to the lower level tracks. The two levels are connected by numerous stairs, ramps, and escalators.

Vanderbilt Hall

Vanderbilt Hall, named for the Vanderbilt family who built and owned the station, is located just off the Main Concourse. It is used and rented out for various events.

Omega Board

The Omega Board was an electromechanical display mounted in Grand Central Terminal used to display the times and track numbers of arriving and departing trains. Shaped like a large black block with rows of flip panels to display train information on the front, the Board was visually incongruous with the rest of the terminal - its boxy shape contrasted strongly with the classical design of the Terminal. It was replaced with a more aesthetically fitting electronic display during renovation of Grand Central Terminal in the 1990s.

Subway Station

The subway platforms at Grand Central are reached from the Main Concourse. The subway areas of the station lack the majesty that is present throughout most of the rest of Grand Central. The Grand Central shuttle platforms were originally the Grand Central express stop on the original Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line, opened in 1904. Once the east side IRT was extended uptown in 1918, the original tracks were converted to shuttle use. Only the #1 track is still connected to the main line on the east side, but not for passenger use. A fire in the 1960s destroyed much of the shuttle station, which has been rebuilt. The only sign of the fire damage is truncated steel beams visible above the platforms.

Grand Central North

Grand Central North is a relatively recent addition that provides access to Grand Central from 47th and 48th streets. It is connected to the Main Concourse through two long hallways, known as the Northwest and Northeast passages, which run parallel to the tracks.

History

Three buildings serving essentially the same function have stood on this site. The original large and imposing scale was intended by the New York Central Railroad to enhance competition and compare favorably in the public eye with the arch-rival Pennsylvania Railroad and smaller lines.

Grand Central Depot

Looking out the north end of the Murray Hill Tunnel towards the station in 1880; note the labels for the New York and Harlem and New York and New Haven Railroads; the New York Central and Hudson River was off to the left. The two larger portals on the right allowed some horse-drawn trains to continue further downtown.

Grand Central Depot was designed to bring the trains of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, the New York and Harlem Railroad, and the New York and New Haven Railroad together in one large station. The station opened in October 1871, but the exact dates are not clear. The original plan was for the Harlem Railroad to start using it on October 9, 1871 (moving from their 27th Street depot), the New Haven Railroad on October 16, and the Hudson River Railroad on October 23, with the staggering done to minimize confusion. However the Hudson River Railroad didn't move to it until November 1, which puts the other two dates in doubt. The headhouse building containing passenger service areas and railroad offices was an "L" shape with a short leg running east-west on 42nd Street and a long leg running north-south on Vanderbilt Avenue. The train shed, north and east of the headhouse, had two innovations in U.S. practice: the platforms were elevated to the height of the cars and the roof was a balloon shed with a clear span over all of the tracks.

Grand Central Station

The exterior of Grand Central Station c. 1904.



The interior of Grand Central Station c. 1904.

Between 1899 and 1900, the headhouse was essentially demolished (it was expanded from 3 to 6 stories and an entirely new facade put on it) but the train shed was kept. The tracks that had previously continued south of 42nd Street were removed and the train yard reconfigured in an effort to reduce congestion and turn-around time for trains. The reconstructed building was renamed Grand Central Station.

Grand Central Terminal

Between 1903 and 1913, the entire building was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal which was designed by the architectural firms of Reed and Stern and Warren and Wetmore who entered an agreement to act as the associated architects of Grand Central Terminal in Feburary of 1904. Reed & Stern were responsible for the overall design of the station, Warren and Wetmore added architectural details and the Beaux-Arts style. Charles Reed was appointed the chief executive for the collaboration between the two firms on the project who promtly appointed Alfred T. Fellheimer head of the combined design team. This work was accompanied by the electrification of the three railroads using the station and the burial of the approach in the Park Avenue tunnel. The result of this was the creation of several blocks worth of prime real estate in Manhattan, which were then sold for a large sum of money.

For the Terminal Building French sculptor Jules-Alexis Coutan created what was at the time of its unveiling, 1914, considered to be the largest sculptural group in the world. It was 48 feet high, the clock in the center having a circumference of 13 feet. It depicted Mercury flanked by Hercules and Minerva and was carved by the John Donnelly Company.

A revolutionary station

Upper level (mainline) layout



Lower level (suburban) layout

In order to accommodate the ever-growing rail traffic into the restricted Midtown area, William J. Wilgus, chief engineer of the New York Central railroad took advantage of the recent electrification technology to propose a novel scheme: a two level station situated below ground.

Incoming trains would go underground under Park Avenue, and proceed to an upper-level incoming station if they were mainline trains, or further below to a lower-level platform if they were suburban trains. In addition, turning loops within the station itself precluded complicated switching moves to bring back the trains to the coach yards for servicing. Outgoing mainline trains were backed-up the conventional way to upper-level platforms.

Burying electric trains underground brought an additional advantage to the railroads: the ability to sell above-ground air rights over the tracks and platforms for real-estate development. With time, all the area around Grand Central Terminal saw prestigious apartment and office buildings being erected, which turned the area into the most desirable commercial office district of Manhattan.

The terminal also did away with bifurcating Park Avenue by introducing a circumferential elevated driveway that allowed Park Avenue traffic to traverse around the Terminal building and over 42nd Street without encumbering nearby streets. The terminal building was also designed to be able to eventually reconnect both segments of 43rd Street by going through the concourse if the City of New York demanded it (fortunately, this never happened).

The construction of Grand Central created a mini-city within New York, including a Commodore Hotel and various office buildings. It spurred construction throughout the neighborhood in the 1920s including the Chrysler Building.

In 1928, the New York Central built its headquarters in a 34-story building (now called the Helmsley Building) straddling Park Avenue on the north side of the Terminal's office building.

From 1948 to 1964 CBS headquartered its intial television broadcasting center in the station until 1964 in "Studio 40". The CBS Evening News began its broadcasts there with Douglas Edwards. Many of the historic events during this period, such as John Glenn's Mercury Atlas 6 space mission, were broadcast from this location (although the Walter Cronkite broadcasts were from studios in Washington, D.C.). Broadcasts from the studio were famed for shaky videos caused by train arrivals


View of Grand Central around 1918.

An endangered monument

View in the excavation for the new Grand Central Station, Sept. 1907.

During the 1960s, after the construction of the Pan Am Building (now the MetLife Building), there were three sets of plans to construct a highrise to take advantage of the air rights over Grand Central. One set was prepared by I.M. Pei and took the form of a glass cylinder with a wasp waist. The other two sets were prepared by Marcel Breuer.

The Pei design was intriguing; the Breuer designs were far clumsier examples of blank-faced repetitive modernism, completely insensitive to Grand Central's heritage. The project caused a brouhaha in the New York press, damaged Breuer's reputation, and along with public feeling about the recent well-documented destruction of nearby Penn Station, triggered widespread opposition and a landmark lawsuit. The resulting case was the first time that the Supreme Court ruled on a matter of historic preservation. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a dedicated supporter of the terminal, said, "Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. Maybe... this is the time to take a stand, to reverse the tide, so that we won't all end up in a uniform world of steel and glass boxes."

The plans were ultimately scrapped. The Court saved the terminal, basing its decision on the notion that only if a change to a historic structure prevented said structure's owner from bankruptcy could such an alteration be made.

Restoration and the future

Intercity service to the station ended on April 7, 1991, with the completion of the Empire Connection, which allowed trains from Albany, Toronto and Montreal to directly serve Penn Station. Previously, travellers would have to change stations via subway, bus, or cab. Since then, Grand Central has exclusively served Metro North.

During the 1990s, the station was extensively renovated. These renovations were mostly finished in 1998, though some of the minor refits (such as the replacement of eletromechanical train info displays by the entry of each track with electronic displays) were not completed until 2000. The most striking effect was the restoration of the Main Concourse ceiling, revealing the painted skyscape and constellations which had been painted in 1912 by French artist Paul César Helleu and that had been hidden beneath soot and grime. Other modifications included a complete overhaul of the Terminal's superstructure and the replacement of the electromechanical Omega Board train arrival/departure display with a purely electronic display that was designed to fit into the architecture of the Terminal aesthetically.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's East Side Access project is expected to bring Long Island Rail Road trains into the terminal by 2012 to help relieve overcrowding in Penn Station and shorten commutes for Long Islanders who work on Manhattan's east side.

Currently, the exterior of the terminal is being cleaned and restored, starting with the west facade on Vanderbilt Avenue and gradually working counterclockwise. The northern facade, abutting the MetLife Building, will be left as is. The project involves cleaning the facade, rooftop light courts and statues; filling in cracks, repointing the stones on the facade, restoring the copper roof and the building's cornice, repairing the large windows of the Main Concourse, and removing the remaining blackout paint that was applied to the windows during World War II. The result will be a cleaner, more attractive and structurally sound exterior, and the windows will allow much more light into the Main Concourse. The work should be finished in 2007; as of 2006, restoration of the west and south façades has been completed.

Impact on design of transit centers

The design for Grand Central Terminal was an innovation in the way transit hubs were designed, and continues to influence designers to this day. One new concept was the use of ramps (as opposed to staircases) for conducting the flow of traffic through the facility (as well as aiding with the transport of luggage to and from the trains.) Another was the wrapping of Park Avenue around the Terminal above the street, creating a second level for the picking up and dropping off of passengers. As airline travel superseded the railroads in the latter half of the 20th century, the design innovations of Grand Central Terminal were later incorporated into the hub airports that were built.

Grand Central Terminal in popular culture



The 42nd Street entrance to Grand Central Terminal (1996).

As an accessible, photogenic New York City landmark, and as one of the prototypical Manhattan experiences, the terminal has had many appearances in pop culture.

The terminal is seen in films such as North by Northwest, Chronos, Men in Black, Carlito's Way, Extreme Measures, K-PAX, Madagascar, and is prominently featured in two 1940s MGM films, The Clock and Grand Central Murder. In Terry Gilliam's 1991 The Fisher King, Grand Central commuters burst into a spontaneous waltz. The front of the terminal is seen in the opening scenes of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

In fiction, atomic pioneer Leo Szilard (one of the senior researchers on the Manhattan Project) wrote a short story entitled "Grand Central Station," about alien scientists who explore Grand Central Station as part of their mission to learn how life on Earth became extinct. A highly-regarded novel, By Grand Central Station I sat down and Wept, was written by Elizabeth Smart, in 1945.

And a dramatic radio program called "Grand Central Station" was broadcast from 1937 through 1995, beginning on the NBC Radio Blue Network, and opening with the words, "As a bullet train seeks its target, shining rails in every part of our great country are aimed at Grand Central Station, heart of the nation's greatest city."

The first four episodes of the long-running TV panel show "What's My Line?" were broadcast from CBS Studio 41, which was located in an upstairs area of Grand Central Terminal. The episodes aired from Feb. 20 to March 16, 1950.

In the movie, Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, Grand Central Terminal is depicted as having an abandoned section underground that is used as headquarters by Lex Luthor, and more than one short story describes abandoned sections of Grand Central that lead the protagonists into adventure.

In the hit 80s cartoon The Real Ghostbusters, the protagonists visited the terminal three times. Once in the episode Last Train To Oblivion, then in Look Homeward Ray and finally in I Am The City. The Extreme Ghostbusters visited it in Be Careful What You Wish For and it featured incorrectly as Penn Station (To the point of featuring the long demolished Penn Station exterior and Grand Cenral's main concourse).

During a segment on Robot Chicken, the protagonist of the skit tells a taxi driver the actual name of Grand Central Terminal. The scene continues on to her riding Metro-North, saying that the Hudson Line rules, and that she saved $5 on a monthly pass.

Grand Central was destroyed by meteorites in Armageddon.

In 2003, the Grand Central Terminal was featured in the Peanuts home video, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.

Statistics

Size
. . . Covers 49 acres of land, 33 miles of track, 44 platforms
Trains
. . . 660 Metro North commuter trains
Commuters
. . . About 125,000 a day
Visitors
. . . 575,000 a day [excludes commuters]
Cost of renovation 1996–98
. . . 250 million dollars
Retail Businesses
. . . 95
Oldest Business
. . . Oyster Bar, opened 1913
Meals served in terminal daily
. . . 10,000
Newspaper recycled daily
. . . 5 tons
Percentage of trains on time
. . . 98
Items in lost and found
. . . 19,000
Most frequently lost item
. . . Coats [up to 2,000 a year]
Return Rate
. . . Over 60%, close to 98% for computers and iPods

References

• Local News in Brief, The New York Times September 29, 1871 page 8
• The Grand Central Railroad Depot, Harlem Railroad, The New York Times October 1, 1871 page 6
• Local News in Brief, The New York Times November 1, 1871 page 8
• Federal Writer's Project, New York City Guide, Random House Publishers, New York 1939
• Fried, Frederick & Edmund V. Gillon, Jr., New York Civic Sculpture. Dover Publications, New York, 1973
• Reed, Henry Hope, Edmund V. Gillon, JR., Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York: A Photographic Guide, Dover Publications, New York 1988
• Stern, Gilmartin & Massengale, New York 1900, Rizzoli International Publications, New York 1983

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.



Enjoy!

Tom [4:-)] [oX)]


Did you miss #1[?] Click on the URL:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=289&TOPIC_ID=35270

[trolleyboy]

Okay since I have the morning off, I'll drop upon you folks another tale of the wierd and bizzarre from the barn. Well at least unusual and exotic to me anyhow [swg]

Wierd Tales From The Barn # 2 Oddball Trolley's Pt 1

As we know, railroading can at times be an ecentric thing.The street railways were no exception to this rule. Many times during the early years of electrification 1880's to 90's many street railway companies tended to express themselves in unique ways with unique one off cars. here are two examples one from the US and one from Great Britain. I have poor magazine photo's of both cars an I will attempt to scan and clean them up ( may not be possible ) The text gives one a general idea of what they were if the pictures don't come out.

article by Frank Rowsome c1956

" Of all the *** trolley's ever built, perhaps none was stranger than the armoured, gun carrying craft that emerged from a carbarn at Fitchburg Mass in the fall of 1896. It was modelled after the Brooklyn , a formidable vessel in the Great White Fleet.It brandished two 6-pounders in barbettes astride the bows, plus a fearsome 18- pounder on the main deck. There appear to have been additional guns in the rear to discourage pursuit. Built on a self propelled faltcar ( work motor ), this armoured trolley was 37 feet long, and 9 feet wide. She had a perfusuion of portholes, a bridge,and, somewhat perplexingly an anchor.

Whether she was seriously intended as an exparamental land cruiser or was built simply as a stunt is uncertain.Some evidence points each way. There were sober articles written about such a weapon in the Litterary Digest and the Electrical Review . The Digest called it "an instrument of warfare of infinate use". The Review pondered that " it is not beyond the range of medern mechanics to build a car that would be bullet proof, and that would constitute a travelling fort... it could carry men and guns from one point to another wiht great celerity "

Arguing against it's actual marshall uses there are other bits of evidence.
1) It was promptly christenned the Mckinnley and saw imidiate action in the campaining against William Jennings Bryant

2) Although, as James D Hill wrote later about it, it's proponenets laid great stress upon the lead ballasted bow whose speacial design, augmenetd by the brute force of 60 horsepower motors, could shear it's way throuhg any barricade. They overlooked that someone might desend upon the power lines and separate it from iot's power sorce.

3) Inspectiomn opf surviving photo's off it show a small lifeboat suspended on davits on the port side.It's not clear how, in doughty defence of the republic,a lifeboat could come in very handy on an armoured streetcar.


The second bizzare trolley comes from England. This one required a lifeboat ! Infact several.

A seagoing trolley ran in the 1890's from Brighton to Rottingdean. One of the most cheerfully lunatic vehicles ever made. The 36 ton Pioneer ran on a three mile track that was 14 feet beneth the waves at high tide. It was built on four tubular steel legs had two decks, a sumptuous yacht saloon, and lifeboats for 150 passengers. A weel aftre the Pioneer familiarly known as Daddy Long Legs made it's inaugural run in 1896, it was totally wrecked in a storm. Rebuilt the following spring, Daddy Long Legs had a successfull three year life as a tourist attraction, including one red letter day when King Edward VII, and then Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Duke and Dutchess of Fife made a happy round trip on this seagoing trolley.

Enjoy Rob

[trolleyboy]

Wow Tom, nice spread on Grand Central a truly remarkable builing. It's always nice to see that cities and raiway companies are trying tokeep these old structures alive and viable, In this case and in the case of Toronto Union ( your first terminal piece ) they are still amjor traffic hubs for both out of town trains and local a suburban commuter routes.

Rob

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Another beautiful start to the day here in mid-continent USA with clear skies and comfortable temps – should reach the low 90s (F) today, which will keep Juneau The Wonder Husky and I indoors! <grin>.


Had a bit of difficulty with my “special Post” this morning – kept dropping a complete paragraph! Finally figgered it out, but took “forever” – but no point in getting into that here. Bottom line – it’s beed edited and I hope those of you who read these things enjoy the RR Stations – Depots & Terminals #2 – New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.


Some comments and acknowledgments are in order I see:

trolleyboy Rob
Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 23:25:39 & 23:55:55

While our number remains relatively small, especially in terms of contributing material, it is past due for new “stuff.” Can always use it later on for our ENCORE! Saturdays.

Just wish we’d get some solidarity with the reading ‘round the place. There really aren’t that many Pages flying by on our Thread – so it’s just hard for me to accept this negative aspect of our interaction. I think Lars picks up on it right away – and so do I. Pretty much been that way since we began – but only with a few.

Another new series, eh [?] I think you are treading on some “protected turf” using the “barn” term. Don’t’ want to get in between you and Doug over that one! <grin>

What an inglorious ending that would’ve been for “Teddy,” a rough ‘n tough kinda guy, fer sure, fer sure! Wish all of our world leaders had the “marbles” he had! [yeah] Anyway, too bad anyone was killed in that incident, much less harmed.


EricX2000 Eric
Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 23:56:12

Hope you find this place habit forming! We’ve got to find out what your drink of choice is – after all, this is cyber space, and what one “consumes” in the Ether, cannot harm you! [swg]

Don’t know if you picked up on the URL I posted for some info on St. Louis’ Union Station – it’s worth the read. Anyway, aside from the departure of the excursion train I mentioned, things haven’t changed that much since your last visit. It’s an interesting edifice and certainly well worth the time to peruse. It will definitely be one of our stops during the 2007 Rendezvous in St. Louis along with lunch over at Maggie O’Briens – one of my all time favorite ‘watering holes.’

Oh yes, THANX for the Pix! [tup]


barndad Doug
Posted: 14 Jun 2006, 05:10:47

Interesting shots of the trains and narratives in connection with the Detroit River Tunnel. You always seem to find the most interesting “stuff” for us! [tup] [tup] Joke [?] THAT was a joke [?] <frown> You do know that there are at least ten thousand UNEMPLOYED comedians “out there!” <grin>


trolleyboy Rob
Posted: 15 Jun 2006, 09:55:19 & 10:30:15

Sorry I missed you this AM – saw you “up” but couldn’t get “on” as I was having all kinds of difficulty getting my GCT Post to “work” – maddening to say the least.

Anyway, good to “see ya” and appreciate your stopping by in the daylite! [swg]

I’m not so sure about the “seagoing trolley,” but I sure could do marvelous things with that “armored, gun carrying craft!” I’ve always envisioned having my “own” laser cannons mounted on either side of the front of my car – then “zap” – the roads would be much safer, but then the clean-up would be a problem. Ashes just everywhere! <grin>


Okay – ‘nuf of this . . .

I’ll be behind the bar for the day! So, whatillyahave [?]


Tom [4:-)] [oX)]

[trolleyboy]

Just a quick pop back in. Tom a Keith's to go er well never mind I'll drink it here and then go.[swg] You should see the picture of that armoured trolley. I think it would be too dark for me to scan but the thing looks like a ram bowed counter sterned turn of the last century armoured cruiser. Essentially a land going mini-me of the Cruiser Olympia .The seagoer looked like something out of that crazy Wild West movie made acouple of years back. Rall spindly legs of iron with a, living room and veranda straped onto the top of it. I;ll try to scan the photo's and post them tonight but I don't think that they will come out. Well Tom happy rails for the day, I'll pop back in tonight after work.

Rob

[siberianmo]

Hey Rob!

We seem to be just missing one another . . .

Glad you enjoyed the GCT - that one took quite a bit of time to reformat and edit for this Forum. Beginning to wonder about the "labor costs!" [swg]

Just wanted to acknowledge you while I'm "up" . . .

Haven't seen you for awhile over on "my other Thread" - we could use some traction! <grin>

Later! [tup]

Tom[4:-)] [oX)]

[coalminer3]

Good Afternoon (!?) Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.

Running late today (just like ATK 50) account work assignments. Anyway, we made it.

Lots of good material out there today.

Liked the dome material; especially the variety of cars.

The story abt Teddy and the trolley brought back some memories. One of my late, lamented rail watching friends grew up in Pittsfield in the 1920s. I was out there visiting one time, and he showed me where the incident happened and told me the story as it had been relayed to him by his father.

Then we had another installment on the Detroit tunnels.

Also appreciated the material on the armored trolley car – somehow the idea of the Great Commoner and an armored vehicle is pretty imaginative.

Last, but not least is Tom’s collection/narration/history of GCT.

Grand Central was my first exposure to New York and I remember very well exiting from the train (New Haven’s “42nd Street” from Boston, IIRC) walking up the platform and entering the biggest room I had ever seen. Hell, when you’re about 10 yrs old or so, you don’t have much experience in anything; but I was rooted to the spot where I stood looking up at the constellations in the ceiling (BTW, they’re backwards) and thinking that this, truly was something special. The clock and information booth were, of course, in the middle of the lobby.

Now, you could go from the station to the Commodore Hotel w/o going outside, but, you had, again IIRC, go to the Vanderbilt Ave. side to get a cab if you were staying elsewhere. The Biltmore was right across the street, but I think you did have to go outside to get there.

On the upper level the ticket windows are on the opposite side from the train gates. Some were for the New Haven and some were for the New York Central. Back then, the NYC had not gutted its intercity fleet so there was a pretty fair amount of activity, even during the day. The train roll signs were magnificent as they held promise of Pullman travel to exotic places such as Montreal, Detroit, Niagara Falls, and Chicago. Incidentally, later on I did ride from GCT to Chicago and the trip along the Hudson to Albany was every bit as good as advertised. The number of short haul and long haul trips to and from GCT was too high to count.

Suburban trains were downstairs – lots of mu cars on the New Haven and electric-locomotive hauled and mu stuff for the NYC. I used to ride Harlem and Upper Harlem Line (no checked remains handled to Valhalla – who out there remembers that wonderful footnote in the NYC tt?) trains to the in-law’s house when I was married to my ex. Power was electric locomotives to White Plains and RS3s from there. Later on the RS3s were replaced by FL9s – it seemed really strange to hear NYNH&H Hancock whistles on Harlem line trains. All of that is gone now as the locomotive-hauled trains have been replaced by electric stuff.

I am reposting something re GCTs physical plant from an earlier page – thought it would add a little bit more.

Going to Grand Central we would swing up and over the New York Central on a magnificent flying junction at Woodlawn. Then we would drop down on the west side and tie in with the NYC. Here was a stretch of big time railroading for certain as our train shared space not only with other New Haven trains, but with the trains of the mighty Central. Heading into New York, we’d pass by the Central’s Mott Haven yard which was on the right hand side of our train.

Mott Haven was a delight as it was always filled with not only with New Haven cars of all types, but also stainless steel New York Central cars, two-tone gray New York Central cars, and visiting sleepers and other equipment from foreign lines such as the Santa Fe and the Union Pacific. Here’s where the time spent studying the timetables my father brought home paid off, as I was able to recognize the different kinds of cars when I saw them, and sometimes could even figure out what trains they were from or for. Over there’s part of the “Ohio State Limited,” those cars are for the “20th Century,” and there’s a Los Angeles-New York sleeper off the Santa Fe!

The New York Central’s Hudson line joined us from the right just south of Mott Haven and from there the procession into New York was on a high elevated track through Harlem. Many times, we stopped at 125th Street, and I was often lucky to see a New York Central run pulled by one of their electric locomotives. The buildings here were different than those in Boston. I could see apartment houses with factories nearby, often on the same block. Many of these building had wooden water towers on their roofs, again something that was not that common in Boston.

We’re getting close now and here we go into the Park Avenue tunnel. If I stretched just right I could look up through the openings in the tunnel and see the tall buildings that marked the passage toward Grand Central. The entrance to Grand Central was always thrilling as we crept through the darkness of the tunnel toward our assigned track. We’re going very slowly now, past the underground tower with the lighted boards that controlled train movements in and out of the station. One last shudder and we stop. Now’s the time to make sure we have everything we brought along with us - the car attendant has our bags out on the high level platform. Sometimes I carried my bags, but most of the time we used the services of a Red Cap, especially if the family was traveling together.

Work safe

[LoveDomes]

G’day Cap’n Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!

What ho! [?] One of my all time favorite railroad palaces – Grand Central Terminal in New York City! [wow] Do I ever have memories of that fine place along with an equal number from old Penn Station. Oh how the years pass and changes change everything – everything that is except the indelible images far within my “thing” called a memory! [tup]

Extremely well done piece, Cap’n Tom and I applaud you for the perseverance in keeping at it until you got it “right!” [yeah] [tup] Undoubtedly there are many guys “out there” who may not have a clue regarding the effort it takes to compile one of your works of interest. The uploading – the downloading – the editing – the proofreading – trying it out B4 posting, et al. A five-[tup] Salute to you Sir! [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup] Just love these “specials” of yours! [wow] [wow] and [yeah]

Also, Shane you’ve overdone it as well. What a great addition and compliment to the GCT story. There’s simply nothing I can add to any of it – for to do so would look amateurish by comparison. Well done, Sir and a 5-[tup] to you too! [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup]

Always good to take in the info from our museum guys, Doug ‘n Rob they keep coming up with “keepers,” huh [?] Great stuff, guys – all designed to provide our clientele with so many diverse but connected compilations of railroading in America and Canada. You guys are also in line for a 5-[tup] Salute! [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup] [tup]

A visit from Eric – let’s see, that’s 2 in succession. Could it be . . . . [?] Hope so! As Tom inferred, this place IS addictive! [swg] By the way, Tom is absolutely correct – we are in CYBER SPACE - let your hair down, so to speak, and have some fun. Too many times guys take this stuff far too seriously when it is really all about having fun. That’s the “F” word I can live with! [tup]

Set ‘em up barkeep and here’s a couple of ten spots – put whatever is left in “The Lars Box” for another day! [tup] I’ll have a frosty cold bottle of Narragansett (red label) and I’d appreciate it if you’d slide those pretzels down my way. Thanks! [tup]

I know it sounds like bragging, but can you believe my Mets [?] I mean this is some season for them and all of us who have long suffered through the doldrums. The owners have opened up the bank accounts and brought in sufficient numbers of mercenaries to make the team very, very competitive and fun to watch.

You see, I call it what it is. No bleary-eyed crap from me. I’d much prefer to see our “home growns” play the game – but these days that’s not to be. So we go with the international approach. Bothers me very much to realize how much U.S. cash leaves the country by way of these high paid prima-donnas – but that’s life in the fast lane, huh[?] So, the cry is Let’s Go Mets!] – I’m sure there are multi-lingual variations of that cheer. <groan>

Tom can’t say enough about what you do for this place – just fantastic and ongoing effort. Where do you find the time and energy to keep up the pace [?] Unbelievable! Thanks, mate! [tup]


So, we are into mid-June and that should mean a return to the bar for BK and pretty soon thereafter, Wolfman Pete! Let’s hope the next round of absences don’t decimate our numbers quite the way these past several weeks of them have.

One more, then I gotta skedaddle. “His master’s voice” is bellowing beckoning, and I must acquiesce to her demands requests! [swg]


Until the next time!


Lars