Significant events in Canadian RR History
during the month of October.
Caveat: Much of the information appearing was gathered from internet sources, with credit to “Colin Churcher’s Railway Pages” at http://www.railways.incanada.net/
* 1854, October 25th: - opening of the Carillon and Grenville Railway.
* 1856, October 27th: - The Grand Trunk Railway opens its broad gauge line throughout between Montreal and Toronto – Brockville to Oshawa secton.
* 1873, October 3rd – 4th: - The Grand Trunk Railway converts the gauge of its line between Stratford and Montreal, 421 miles together with 60 miles of sidings, from 5' 6" to the standard gauge of 4' 8 1/2". The track work was completed in 24 hours and occasioned but 16 hours interruption in the use of the main line.
* 1874, October 26th: - All Grand Trunk Railway lines east of Montreal, 542 miles, are converted from 5' 6" to standard gauge.
* 1877, October 9th: - Locomotive Countess of Dufferin arrives at St. Boniface on a barge towed by the steamer "Selkirk". It was brought in by the contractor Joseph Whitehead to work on the Selkirk - Emerson line and was the first locomotive in Manitoba and on the Prairies.
* 1891, October: - Canada Atlantic Railway completed the conversion of its entire passenger fleet thus becoming the first railway in Canada to use steam exclusively to heat its passenger rolling stock.
* 1902, October 13th: - First demonstration of wireless communication between a moving train and a station. This was on a Grand Trunk Railway special train between Chicago and Portland for the American Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents. While en route between Toronto and Montreal a wireless telegraphy station was set up by Professor Ernest Rutherford of McGill University.
* 1903, October 24th: - The National Transcontinental Railway Act is passed. In order to expand into Western Canada the Grand Trunk Railway agrees to build a line from Moncton, New Brunswick to Quebec, then on a more northerly route than on any other transcontinental line to a point on the British Columbia Coast, which was to become Prince Rupert. The part between Moncton and Winnipeg was to be known as the National Transcontinental Railway and was to be built by the government. The line west of Winnipeg, to be known as the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, was to be built by the Grand Trunk itself.
* 1905, October 1st: - The Grand Trunk assumes control of the 460 mile Canada Atlantic system by agreement dated August 15th , 1904.
* 1909, October 17th: - first passenger train is operated over the National Transcontinental Railway east of Quebec City between Edmundston and Baker Lake, NB.
* 1914, October 13th: - The Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway is opened throughout between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ont.
* 1917, October 17th: - First train over the Quebec Bridge over the St. Lawrence. This was constructed by the Dominion Government for use by the National Transcontinental Railway. This bridge was notorious in that it fell down twice during construction:
* 1917, October 23rd: - The Canadian Railway War Board holds its first meeting in the Canadian Pacific Boardroom in Windsor Station, Montreal. The name was changed to the Railway Association of Canada in 1919. The RAC represents the interests of all railways operating in Canada.
* 1918, October 21st: - The Mount Royal Tunnel, Montreal, is opened for regular traffic by the Canadian Northern Railway which commences a through service between Montreal and Toronto via Hawkesbury and Ottawa. The first east bound train left Toronto at 23:00 on October 20 and the first westbound left Montreal at 08:15 on October 21.
* 1922, October 4th: - The Canadian National Railway Company becomes a corporate entity (order in council P.C. 2094).
* 1927, October: - A report prepared by Frederick Palmer of London recommends that Churchill should be selected as the terminal port for the Hudson Bay Railway. As a result, the work previously carried out at Port Nelson is abandoned in favour of Churchill.
*1933, October: - London, Midland and Scottish Railway (UK) 4-6-0 steam locomotive Royal Scot departed the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago October 11th and ran via the US to Vancouver: Oct 27th - Vancouver (19,885); Oct 29th - Kamloops; Oct 30th - Calgary (16,000); Oct 31st - Moose Jaw; Oct 31st - Regina (6,986).
* 1949, October: - The General Motors Train of Tomorrow makes a return visit to Canada as follows: Montreal, Sept. 30th - Oct.4th; Quebec, Oct.6th – 8th; Sherbrooke, Oct. 9th – 10th; Oshawa, Oct. 12th - 13th; Toronto, Oct. 14th – 15th, 17th – 19th; Hamilton, Oct. 20th – 22nd; St. Catharines, Oct. 24th – 25th; Stratford, Oct.26th; Chatham, Oct. 27th; Windsor, Oct. 28th – 29th.
Hi Tom and all.
I'll start with a Holden's Mild please RUTH.
Great finish to yesterdays Photo Day.
ERIC I was able to view your pics and the slide show feature is great.Really interesting showing the locos controls. Where was the Big Boy taken at and that Budd car looks superb.
JAMES I am afraid I dont know very much about the German locos, althought the Pacific I think was built in Germany. I will try and find out about the narrow guage loco.
Great Info and pics on the Hiawatha locos and cars. The train must have been a wonderful sight especially passing by at high speed, the livery seems to suit the cars very well.
MIKE Thanks for the pics of those Central Vermont large steam locos they look very impressive.
CM3 SO WE WON, never in doubt. Do the think the mysterious liquid could have been the only known remains of the H&H's Hammer that BORIS brewed for the 1st Anniversary of Our Place in which the vat exploded( page 302)..
Well we have a year to admire our trophy, recover and prepare to defend the trophy,perhaps as DL says we could build a bar car on the M&S narrow guage as a neutral venue, if the next contest is tied.
I hear the talk shows are in danger of cancellation as the fees of the winning side, no money but as much beer as they can drink, as already put one TV company in severe financtial straits.
May I say MANY Thanks for the fine and very enjoyable reports of the matches.
It is a pity the Armadillo Mud Wrestling is on Pay Per View as it deserves a far wider audiance..
DL Great post, and links to the Volk's and the Daddy Long Legs railways. Do you know if the Volks still goes through the nudist beach at Brighton, it did last time I travelled on it in the 80s.
Those Tavern cars must have been a great way to travel home after work.O.V.S. Bullied certainly had some unique ideas with locomotives as well as coaching stock. I read a book about his career and it was fascinating reading , he even designed a peat burning loco when he was at the Inchicore works of the Irish Railway CIE.
Yes the Watford to Brighton train is well worth knowing about. When it was introduced it ran from Rugby using the duel-volt class 319 multiple units, but has since been cut back to Watford Junction. It is an interesting journey through Kensing Olympia and passing under all the lines at Clapham Junction, on the trip Alan had a book which showed the line years ago and the amount of tracks and junctions that were about then was remarkable.
I will post a piece on our trip to the Bluebell when I get my pics back if it is OK with the regulars.
Looking forward to hearing about your trip on the Duchess, and did I read that you had gone to a Real Ale festival any details of that would be great..
The Duchess.
TOM I will pass your comments to Alan.Thanks for the Canadian RR History for October, some great info.It was very interesting to see the part about steam heating of cars in 1891as this in some ways this important part of steam railroading is seldom mentioned, and it was in this month, in 1917, that the Quebec bridge was opened after all the trouble in its construction.
Well Ruth let me get a round in and I'll try a bitter this time.
Pete.
G-day Captain Tom and all present.
Leon- Set me up with some fish 'n chips, and I nice refreshing Coke, Please.
Well, Tom, I think The Milwaukee Road News Issue 1, is going quite well. I think once per week, on Sunday, I will be adding in Milwaukee Road News. I will try to get some good info each week. I think it would be a good idea to get the explorers out to see who were the orginal owners of those geeps. But I am pretty sure they are Santa Fe units.
DL-UK- I am glad you liked the news and the pics I posted. I think to bring back and preserve a Hiawatha Baltic would take all of Bill Gates money. To completely build this set would cost over 1 million dollars per car. The locomotive, Umm lets not go there. BTW: I like the fact that you noticed the shed It was a pain to clean.
Pete- Those German locos closely resemble a japanese built steamer. There are some features that don't match but otherwise there really close. I could do some researching.
I thought you guys might want to see some of these video clips.
http://www.trillium-video.com/mpg/cornhusk.mpg
This train is cruising at 75 mph. This is located in Cornhusk, Nebraska. The Intermodals, The one in the video clip, are some of the fastest frieght trains in North America. A 150 car intermodal train, over a mile and a half long can wiegh 7000 tons. That is light compaired to some of the trains that run along, such as a Coal train. The first locomotive on the train is a Union Pacific SD60M, followed by a Southern Pacific GP40 or GP50 and then a Union Pacific Dash 9.
http://www.trillium-video.com/mpg/cen1.mpg
This is a Canadain ational manifest train. Two Dash 9s lead this train, followed by two GP40s. I don't really know where this is. But I know it's near a crossing.
Happy railroading!
James
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Gute Nacht allersiets!
A fine day it was and now the night has arrived along with the beginnings of a cold front. By the morrow, we should be windy, wet and 25 degrees cooler. More leaves! <arggggggggggggggh>
I see that it is time, once again, to remind our crew about the way things are done 'round the Tavern by the Tracks. This has been Posted numerous times throughout our Pages . . . but, it doesn't hurt to keep reminding:
The Hours and Food Service at "Our" Place
We open at 6 AM - Monday thru Saturday - close when the last man standing has departed (or fallen!).
Bar is CLOSED on SUNDAY's and CHRISTMAS Day
The Food Service at ”Our” Place
…Monday thru Saturday: Light breakfasts – bakery goods from The Mentor Village Bakery and sandwiches all day long made from the freshest lunchmeats in the county along with freshly baked bread for the grinders - hoagies - heros - subs……
....NO evening meals Monday thru Wednesday - sandwiches only!
…Thursday: Fish ‘n Chips nite and Nick’s Picks or whatever our Chief Chef conjures up!.
…Friday: Pizza nite – steak ‘n fries and…….
…Saturday: Steak ‘n fries and ……..
....Sunday breakfast - brunch - lunch 'til 2 PM
Nice selection of Posts today, still operating on only "one burner," but thanx to CM3 at 8:28 AM - DL at 8:38 AM - Pete at 3:14 PM and James at 5:26 PM we've managed to remain vibrant!
And so - WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! The 2006 Grudge Match Bragging Rights DARTS CHALLENGE! is now history. The trophy has been inscribed with the names of those who made the championship possible, along with these words to ponder: Who Darted
Many thanx to those of you who got into the spirit of this idea, for that was the intention. I'd say it all played out quite well here at the Bar by the Ballast. With Nick 'n CM3 keeping us "on edge," how could it be anything other than a good time We look forward to the 2007 edition of the GMBRDC! And, yes - you can keep the shirts, leather jeans and associated team gear! Drinks for the remainder of the week for all who particpated - and of course, our Ace Reporter, CM3!
DL - really enjoyed your Post from this AM - spent a great deal of time perusing those URLs - well done! The more I see 'n read about the passenger railways of GB, the more I would love to experience a trip or three! <grin>
Pete - good to see you engaging in conversation with a fellow Brit! Add Nick to the mix, and we're OUTNUMBERED!
James - always appreciate your contributions and it seems that the guys do as well. Given that we are a CLASSIC TRAINS Thread first and foremost, with current day stuff pretty much kept on the sidings, feel free to expound on your favorite road whenever you please . . . Sundays are really for Pix - narratives should be limited to descriptions of the photos - but whatever "works" will be fine with us! And those video clips were enjoyable . . . .
Nick - is that YOU at 7:07 PM Just caught the Pix and narrative - well done!
REMINDER: Tomorrow is Tuesday and that means THEME for the Day - MONON (try again!)
That's it for me - Leon, set 'em up! Drinks on me - Boris ring the ding!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Tom
Good evening gentlemen all-many thanks for paying the ransom (although for future reference cash is the preferred medium-waiting the extra 5 working days for the cheque to clear was a touch tedious.....still,alls well that ends well..
Leon- Huge foaming steins of deutscher lager all round if you please....good man
Right-A huge weekend for the bar,a fine spread of pix (which I have yet to study,so will reserve comment)-an awesome victory in the inter-bar nails (with an acceptably low casualty rate )-L.G.B steam on the Mentor & Southern and pretty much a full crew around to celebrate-last I saw,Boris & Copperkettle were shovelling glowing green ballast into a condemned gondola (separated from the switcher by 3 barrier flats ) with the track gangs offering advice via bull-horn from behind the shed
So:-
CM3-A truly masterful coverage-the spirit of Lake Woebegone lives on,with that extra touch of Spike Milligan ambient weirdness that makes this little enterprise truly worth while--A fine effort mate-thank you for taking the time to make it happen ...!!!!
MIKE-Spot on URL-I`m sure I saw my old Veedub Beetle in there.....
PETE-Delighted you had a chance to ride behind both the old ladies-I knew the `Earl` was at Sheffield Park but had no idea `Truro` was back in steam-treat ---Note for anyone in the area,Sheffield Park gardens are well worth a visit-loads of interesting plants and some very nicely laid out lakes and `formal` gardens-an echo of a lost era --So you stopped at Purley then-2 stops along from my old `spotting` point -have they still got the aggregate yard on the down side -that whole section,from East Croydon down to Redhill is as familiar as my tattoos-was born next to Caterham stn (the end of one of the Purley branch lines)...Loved the spookey halloween tale by the way--gonna call your bluff now-`The one after 909` was the bus that Paul & George used to get home after practices with John in the Quarrymen-the skiffle band they had before they became the silver beetles & then The Beatles--thought you would catch me out eh........Loved those DVD clips by the way-lets raise a glass to Bill Hoole-one cool guy...!!!!
TOM-What Ho mate !-you mentioned Armistice day,its something of a tradition over here to wear a poppy up to and including-would you mind if we had a box of them and a collecting jar on the bar between now and then ---The history is,the Royal British Legion set up workshops for the most seriously disabled ex-servicemen from the great war making poppy buttonholes ( amongst other things ) to give them a reason to get up in the morning ( the poppy represents the poppy fields of Flanders,where so many died for so little....) and the tradition continues-perhaps you have it over there,I don`t know..........................
DL-UK--(we have to find an easier `handle` for you)-find above the O.N.R/A.C.R article,as promised,hopefully it should enlarge to a readable size.....If you want specialist cars the O.N.R has them-during the various seasons they attach a `moose car` -a 50` box for moose carcasses shot by alleged `sportsmen` ( give the moose a gun then you have a sport says I) and a `canoe car` -50` bulkhead flat with special racking to the Little Bear.......Personally I rather liked those `Mock Tudor` bar cars on the Southern-they had that `30`s` ambience that so much of south-east suburbia has-at least from the outside
Right,I know I`ve missed several people,not least JAMES-all I have on my note here is `shed` which may or may not mean anything-will post this and go back and check-and look at the pix whilst I`m there
back in a bit
nick
Right Leon,more absurdly large tankards of foaming golden ale please,
Chefs log-supplementary,stardate269577.0000000003 (just before supper )
ROB-fine trolley shots there mate-as ever ,the party starter
TOM-A real nice selection from Trinity rail-as the only operator of Bi-levels in the group I particulally apreciate the pix-now can anybody tell me-were those units in the last pic those Santa Fe conversions of F7`s to road switchers ??????..P.S-loved the Canadian data too
PETE-Man,those German steamers are well kept-and a lovely looking background as well
MIKE-that #701 is a pure brute-I would hate to have to keep that fire stoked-can just imagine the ring of her in full cry-now thats a drumbeat for any rock`n`roll song you please............
JAMES-A fine job of work on Boris`s lair-it`s so clean even he won`t sleep in there -fantastic pix also-really caught the spirit of `big` railroading-----No underage drinking in the bar but it`s a warm(ish) night so the odd bottle of Czech pilsner might be available for an acoustic guitar jam session round the fire in the rubbish bin in the yard-you`ve earned it
Right-I`ve got the old `Countryman` acoustic tuned to open `G` and the glass slide on my courting finger (!) so I`m gonna go on out back and listen to the rhythym of the rails and watch the stars for a bit-lets start with Dead Flowers and Love in Vain and go from there
Happy Monday Gentlemen all-safe journey home.....................................................
Hello Tom
Light breakfast for me please. I’ll take one of those Poppies Nick has placed on the bar – collecting tin starting to fill nicely too.
Tom, glad you’ve enjoyed the UK stuff – but to all you stateside contributors please be aware how enjoyable those links and info are from North America. Posts and links like that Hiawatha one from James are great to my mind.
Tom, hope you can make it to the UK some time though – armed with a Brit Rail pass. We can work up your itinerary here – I’m thinking some of the fast Inter City runs with scenic lengths, and good dining of course, a sleeper journey to or from Scotland or Cornwall, then some time on selected scenic rural lines, maybe in Scotland but also some of the more remote parts of Wales, a few interludes at some of the larger preserved railways (Bluebell, Great Central, Severn Valley or North York Moors might all be possibilities), then maybe one or two of the Welsh narrow Gauge lines Nick has flagged up in the past.
Just to catch up on points being made.
Pete – Despite it being very close to where I grew up I’ve never been on Volks railway – an omission I admit. If it went via the nudist beach in the 1980s I expect it still does – after all knowing Brighton the nudist beach has probably expanded since then. Sounds like it has the Makings of a British farce film somewhere along the lines of a cross between The Titfield Thunderbolt and Carry on Camping!!!
OVS Bullied – certainly seemed a fascinating chap – a few bizarre designs, but some great ones too. You probably had the opportunity to ride on some Bullied designed cars on the Bluebell – a nice design I think. Interesting to note that I think some derivative designs of his coaching stock were still running as suburban EMUs in the south London area as late as the early 1990s I believe. No doubt Nick will have ridden them in South London Purley area too.
Yes, big Beer festival here – mix of micro brewery stuff and some of the larger trad regional brewers, probably almost 300 to choose from, ciders and perrys too as well as Bitters Milds Porters Stouts etc etc.
Incidentally Pete – did you manage to get a pint of Harvey’s Bitter at the Bar on the Bluebell at Sheffield Park? I hope you did – a classic Sussex beer.
Tavern Cars: Glad people liked those pics. Eric, never mind Tavern Cars on Swedish State railways, what about Sauna Cars – ever run any of those - after all plenty of steam heating at one time?
Glad the idea of a Darts Car for the next match seems to have been considered as a distinct possibility – I guess we need the journalists input too se if that is feasible - can you broadcast from a rolling car??
Nick – yep – time to shorten the handle to DL – the UK bit dates back from when I first scanned the web for info on Canadian passenger trains and needed to signal that I was not a native to those parts. I posted on the somewhat out of use thread after a Google search, but Tom replied and also invited me over to Our Place, where the English accent seems to get the friendly hospitality one comes to expect (and appreciate) in most of North America.
I can endorse what you say about Sheffield Park Garden – but never managed to combine it with the Bluebell – both large enough to occupy a day!. As far as I know the aggregate depot is still beside the line near Purley. I think there is another one south of there on the now freight only Ardingly Branch near Hayward heath further south on the Brighton Line.
Bad news though Nick – I can see everyone else’s pics from the last few days but those article scans don’t show up to me. Typical – but frustrating – any other ideas?
Anyway – recent trip report.
I’d hoped to find a web page with some good technical data and class lists on the London Midland and Scottish Coronation Class locos, but not really come up with much. A superb picture of the loco we rode behind on Saturday back in the 1950s is here:
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10323146&wwwflag=2&imagepos=6
I wonder if Pete, as an ex Rugby resident (LMS mainline where these locos were designed to run) can perhaps add a few comments and corrections if required?
Anyway, these Pacifics were the LMSR’s most powerful locos and probably the most powerful loco constructed in Britain before WW2. Designed for express passenger work on the London Glasgow main line there is the suggestion that they never were tested to peak performance as it was not possible for the fireman to stoke the engine fast enough to meet its full coal burning capacity (UK never really adopted mechanical stoking).
Some pics of the loco on recent steam specials – this is how it looked last Saturday:
http://www.steamtraingalleries.co.uk/pic_special_trains_196.html
http://www.steamtraingalleries.co.uk/pic_special_trains_168.html
Made an early start from Derby with 12 coaches (2 support cars, 2 x 1st class dining, 1 kitchen car, 3 x 1st class cars, 4 x second class cars) + an idling diesel loco at the rear in case emergency assistance required (it wasn’t). Weather rather dull and overcast so steam effects not as spectacular as they could have been.
Train travelled east to Grantham via Nottingham Midland Station. Immediately it was possible to note the service was very smooth running – the loco seemed to be working impeccably. Wearing the same Royal Scot Tartan headboard in picture above (The Royal Scot was the premier train on the LMS London Glasgow Route – so I presume it was headed up with this just to wind people up since the run to London was on the rival LNER Edinburgh London Route).
We had first class dining seats so breakfast was served after Nottingham and very good it was too. At Grantham we joined the ex LNER route to London mentioned above and picked up more passengers.
On departure from Grantham heading south we climbed tot eh top of Stoke Summit and then start the descent down Stoke bank towards Peterborough. This is the stretch of line where the LNER took the world speed record for steam in 1938 – and we had some good fast running (probably at least 70 mph). Stopped north of Peterborough in the freight yards there where a road water tanker could access the train for a tender fill up. After a 30 minute break here we headed south towards London but we must have been under signal checks as speed was slower and we arrived about 15 mins late.
Even on the fast running stretches it was interesting to be overtaken by modern GNER electric expresses doing over 100 up to line speed of 125 – nice also to hear most drivers of overtaking or approaching trains pay their respects to the old machine on their horns. Our train driver was pretty quiet on the whistle most of the time, which was shame since a good steam whistle through most of the stations we passed through would have been appreciated by watching passengers and those on board. At various stations on the line and in some adjacent fields photographers were out to record our passing.
Departure from Kings Cross was at 17.15 and this time the engine was head boarded with The White Rose head board – this was a premier London Yorkshire LNER train so this must have been to pay respects to the route and make amends.
Fairly soon after departure dusk was settling down and our 4 course evening meal was served. Journey back was smooth again with excellent performance by the engine. Some guys sitting near us had some sort of digital speed measuring device and recorded speeds in the high 60s and up to 74mph.
Well after dark I was able to take a good view out of the window at Grantham as we curved round to the left (we were at the back of the train on the return) getting a great view of the whole consist and plenty of steam against the by now cold dark night sky.
Arrival back was only marred by a Jobsworth member of station staff manically trying to enforce a ‘no flash photography’ rule on the station premises, he was doing this with the utmost rudeness possible and picked on my friends wife to have a go at – despite her being a good photographer who would not be of the view that using a flash after dark made for a decent picture anyway! This guy must have been related to the unhelpful guy I ran into at Halifax (NS) VIA station.
Highlights – great food and on board service, excellent performance from the engine, speed comparable with these trip reports I found on the web from the 1950s and 60s with the same class of engine – pretty good for a machine 70 odd years old!
http://www.locoperformance.co.uk/edition22/lmspacificsscots.htm
Criticisms – only one – the 1950s / 60s BR Mark 1 coaches used for the service – whilst historically right for the job and thus the stock to use, need some attention to the interiors. Ideally a decent restoration, but that costs a lot of money – however a darned good clean would go a long way to making the difference. Toilets, upholstery etc were a bit on the tatty side, and it did not look like anyone had bothered to even clean the windows in the recent past. If you want to attract customers for whom you need a bit more than just the steam engine to impress then paying attention to these sorts of details would be worth the effort.
Whist it is rude to mention money, I thought you might be interested in the fare for this jaunt. 1st class with 2 cooked meals included as above was not cheap at £150 ($284 US or $321 Can). For 300 miles of fast steam haulage behind one of the UK’s most famous express engines I thought we got our money's worth - after all you don't do this every day. A standard class ticket with no dining would have been about £70 so quite good value I feel.
DL
THEME for the DAY! - THEME for the DAY!
Now Arriving on track #1
Railroads from Yesteryear!
Number Twenty Four
Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encylopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requiremensts. Some heralds from other sources.
Monon Railroad
Reporting marks CIL, MON Locale Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky Dates of operation 1847 – 1971 Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Headquarters Chicago, Illinois
Reporting marks
CIL, MON
Locale
Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky
Dates of operation
1847 – 1971
Track gauge
4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
The Monon Railroad (AAR reporting marks CIL, MON), also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway from 1897-1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1971, and much of the former Monon right of way is operated today by CSX Transportation.
Monon route
The railroad earned the name Monon due to the convergence of its four main routes in Monon, IN. From Monon, the mainlines reached out to Chicago, Michigan City, Indiana, Indianapolis and Louisville. In Chicago, the Monon's passenger trains served Dearborn Station. Smaller branches connected points on the Louisville mainline to Victoria, Indiana and French Lick, Indiana.
The Monon directly served five colleges and universities along its line:
· Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana
· Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana
· DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana
· Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana
· Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana
The university traffic was important enough to the Monon, that the railroad used the schools' colors on its rolling stock as the railroad's official paint schemes. The red and gray of Wabash College (and very similar to the colors of Indiana University) was used on the railroad's passenger equipment, and the black and gold used by both DePauw University and Purdue University adorned the railroad's diesel
freight locomotives.
The Monon line was unusual in that its main line ran down the middle of streets in several cities, most notably Lafayette, New Albany and Bedford. It also installed an unusual "home grown" warning signal at many grade crossings; these utilized a green signal light (similar to and adapted from a standard highway traffic signal) that stayed lit at all times, except when a train was approaching. A sign below or to the side of the signal read, "STOP When Signal Is Out." This design had an inherent fail-safe mechanism, in that when the signal bulb was burned out, an approaching vehicle driver would assume a train was coming — and, it must be assumed, that same driver would
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Cool, clear morning in the coalfields today, although there is some talk of rain later on this evening. Thanks to all for kind words re dart reporting. It may take a year of recovery to get ready for the next tournament. In the meantime we can go jackalope hunting on the M&SNG – I didn’t see any signs in the coaches which said we couldn’t shoot from the car windows.
So we will try for the Monon today.
The Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville (after 1955, better known as the Monon) looked like a big letter X One side of the X operated between Hammond, IN and Indianapolis, and the other leg ran between Michigan City, IN and Louisville. The legs of the X crossed at Monon, IN.
Branches ran from Orleans to French Lick (aka home of Larry Bird)
Another branch ran between Wallace Jct. and Victoria, IN.
I was living in L&N land when they swallowed up the Monon. It didn’t take too long to see Monon equipment show up, mostly cabeese at first and later, some locomotives. These always seemed to pass through Nashville in the dark hours, so I was never able to get any really good pictures.
Monon used several different liveries on their locomotives. These were a tasteful black and gold (for Purdue University), and red/white/gray (for Indiana University). The Purdue Boilermakers got their nickname because the Monon shops were in Lafayette, IN; home of Purdue.
You can see vestiges of the Monon today when you ride Amtrak’s Cardinal. Before the line in Lafayette was relocated the train ran down the middle of the street in Lafayette and passed right by the old shop buildings. I always enjoyed that part of the trip.
The Monon got out of the passenger business fairly quickly, but they were running scheduled freights in the late ‘60s.
We’ll start with southbound traffic
Train 71 departed Hammond at 900 p.m. with a 10:40 p.m. arrival in Monon. It departed Monon at 1050p.m., arrived in Lafayette at 1135 p.m. and Louisville at 630a.m.
Train 91 left Monon at 330 a.m. and reached Indianapolis at 700 a.m.
Train 73 left Lafayette at 835 a.m. arriving Louisville at 430p.m.
Train 57 departed Michigan City at 1000 p.m., Monon at 101 a.m. and reached Lafayette at 200a.m.
Train 56 left Lafayette at 400a.m., Monon at 600a.m., arriving Michigan City at 930 a.m.
Train 70 departed Louisville at 6:00p.m., Indianapolis at 1000 p.m., Monon at 355a.m., with a 615a.m. arrival at Hammond.
Train 72 left Louisville at 900a.m. with a 420 p.m. arrival at Lafayette.
Train 90 departed Indianapolis at 1000p.m., and arrived in Monon at 300a.m.
The Monon carefully noted that “Freight schedule shown indicates the service that may be expected, but not guaranteed.”
For those who model, check out the June, 2001 Model Railroader for the article. “The Hoosier Line in N Scale.”
Work safe
Guten Morgen allersiets!
Wie ist jeder? Es is OKTOBERFEST! Partei wollen wir!
A fitting end to our month long celebration of good beer, food, cheer and banter at the bar! It's HALLOWEEN!
Be sure to stop by the Tavern by the Tracks after dark - special HALLOWEEN Bash! for all of our regulars . . . . Be back in a bit with some comments 'n acknowledgments!
Ruth opens up at 9 AM until Leon comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
Boris, serve ‘em all of the “spiked” OJ they can handle!
What’s to say other than I hope one and all have enjoyed the goings on here at the Saloon by the Siding as we wind down one month and prepare for another. October featured our OKTOBERFEST – the Grudge Match Bragging Rights DARTS CHALLENGE! and now, Halloween. That’s quite a plate full for this Oasis for the overworked, underpaid and somewhat obsessed Classic Train buffs who call this place – “Ours”!
Now that we have added three more to our number, one wonders aloud, where would we be without DL – Eric ‘n James A fine trio for this disparate grouping of souls, all linked by the love of trains, taverns ‘n good times. This time last year our customer base was far different and who wuddathunk that we’d have experienced so many changes Many THANX to you three for keeping things moving forward ‘round the joint!
I see we’ve had some fine Posts deserving of recognition – so let’s get to it!
Beginning with Nick at 7:53 PM and 9:42, Monday – always a happy time to have our Chief Chef aboard! Whaddyamean a check That cash in our upstairs bathtub has disappeared and was supposed to have been used to bail you out. Hmmmmm – sounds like another case for Inspector Clueless of the Local Constabulary and his earstwhile assistant, Mr. Doyle, Private Investigator. Perhaps our Bar Chandler Rob (very much part-time these days) can shed some light into all of this as HE was the last one to have been seen with the sack o’ cash! Hmmmmmmmmm. The Plot Thickens – or is that Thot Plickens
Should mention the Post before the Post – enjoyed those narratives and Pix of the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay!
Your mention of the poppies at this time of year always brings forth memories of my long ago childhood. In New York City, back in the 40s, we too wore those symbols of a time not that long past. The day was called Armistice Day and there were parades and many public ceremonies honoring those who fought the “War to end all wars.” As with so many traditions, the poppy on the American scene seems to have disappeared as have the parades – although St. Louis still has the nation’s largest November 11th parade, in honor of our military veterans – which the day is now named for – Veterans Day. Of course, north of the border, they still do it right and proudly wear the poppy in recognition of the day called Remebrance Day – a tribute to their military vets.
Enjoyed that exchange between you and Wolfman Pete regarding those near-do-wells, called the Beatles. Always learn something new ‘round this place and it’s one of the benefits of being behind the bar – for one never knows what one will pick up just by listening.
Regarding that final Pix on my Sunday spate of photos from my Dallas trip. I’ve been giving some thought to that one. I was told those locos were GEEPS, but ya know, they may not be. Don’t think they were coverted from F7s though – but I’d surely like to know WHAT they are. An outfit named HERZOG owns them – they do all kinds of track and railroad work on consignment throughout the U.S. (they also operate the Trinity Rail Express trains I traveled aboard) I was unable to find a “history” of the locos, but am sure it’s in the Ether somewhere. Just a matter of expendable time, effort and persistence. However, maybe Eric or James could take a closer look at them and come up with an answer. Are they really GEEPS? And what of their “heritage”
I also mislabeled those locomotives! They are NOT F40PHs – they are F59PHs! Apologies all ‘round, gents – mea culpa!
Eric at 12:16 AM today – now I seriously DOUBT that Boris has any knowledge (let’s just leave it there!! <grin>) . . . . okay, where was I Oh yes . . . . any knowledge of the whereabouts of the Bikini Team. He’s very much absorbed with his inflatables and actually becomes rather shy and withdrawn when surrounded by a bevy of beauties in the flesh – so to speak. No – Boris isn’t the key to all of this. BUT, the last time those gals were seen was when our Bar Chandler Rob, with the sack o’ cash, was not-so-stealthily stealing his way toward the back entrance to the joint, followed closely by the scantily clad (and that’s POLITE) Bikini Team gals. Hmmmmmmmmm. This is beginning to look SERIOUS!
All of the RDCs (13) that TRE operates were built by the now defunct Budd Car Company in the U.S. during the 1950s. Those cars were in the inventory of VIA Rail of Canada when a contract was let to have them refurbished in the Montreal AMF car works over a 20 month period, and then transported to Dallas in 1994 for use with their expanding commuter rail system.
Glad you enjoyed the Significant Events in Canadian RR History – with two more editions to go – there will be a complete chronology available at the bar for anyone interested!
Afternoon Tom
I’ll take a pint of whatever you recommend from your local micro brewery, and a drink for yourself.
All I can say is thanks for your thanks. The good thing here at Our Place is the typical hospitality I’ve come to know in various parts of North America – this dates back to several visits to North America due to family links and the fact that my parents worked in Chicago back in the 60s (before I was born) so we’ve had some great family visits there with long time friends – and I must say the Windy City is one of my favourite cities – just happens to be convenient that it also a great hub of the US rail network too!
One of the advantages here is that with our knowledge of the systems we are each familiar with it is quite easy to find good sites and pictures from our home turf – and each to our own on that regard and it works well – Today is a good example - I’d never even heard of the Monon till today – but those posts have been really interesting and informative. I’d certainly be interested to here more about those classic days in the New York area (a city I’ve never visited but a place to head for one day for sure) – so surely the privilege of the proprietor is to hold forth on those subjects when and as they please (or any subject for that matter).
I’ve just been catching up with the last Classic Trains issue on RPO services – so I was thinking about posting some stuff on UK TPO services as we call them (Travelling Post Offices) but maybe an idea could be to have an RPO / TPO Theme day some time?
I was interested to read that the Poppy day tradition has kind of died out in the USA - I'm surprised by that as I often feel that the USA values its heritage in these respects perhaps more than Europeans do - I wonder how it died out? Mind you here in the UK it was on the wane in the 1980s but the British Legion put some effort back in with the national press and media and profile has gone up again in last 10 years - eg you will not find a single news reader or serious current affairs commentator on any TV station from now until 11 Nov not wearing their poppy - and even the pacificst movement promotes the white peace pledge poppy for those who wish to pay their respect in an alternative fashion.
Back on theme I’ll end with a classic poster of a stylish BR Diesel Pullman train from the classic era – the so called Blue Pullman:
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10170757&wwwflag=2&imagepos=1
* 1847: The New Albany & Salem Railroad is organized with James Brooks as president.
* 1854: The NA&S trackage stretches from the Ohio River (at New Albany) to the Great Lakes (at Michigan City).
* 1859: The overextended and struggling NA&S is reorganized as the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad.
* April 30, 1865: The LNA&C becomes one of twenty railroads to haul Abraham Lincoln's funeral train, from Lafayette, Indiana to Michigan City, Indiana.
* 1881: The LNA&C consolidates with the Indianapolis & Chicago Air Line, and the trackage of the new division is soon extended to reach into its namesake cities.
* July 1, 1897: The LNA&C is reorganized as the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway Co.
* 1932: The 300 pound (136 kg) Monon Bell is first presented as the trophy of the annual football matchup between DePauw University and Wabash College.
* 1946: John W. Barriger III becomes President of the Monon, bringing aggressive plans for modernization.
* June 29, 1949: Final day of steam locomotive service, as the Monon becomes one of the first Class I railroads to fully convert to diesel motive power.
* January 11, 1956: The CI&L officially adopts its longtime nickname, Monon, as corporate title.
* 1959: The Monon's passenger service between Chicago, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana is discontinued.
* September 30, 1967: Final day of regularly-scheduled passenger train service on the Monon.
* July 31, 1971: The Monon is merged into the Louisville & Nashville.
I will attempt to maintain a more regular presence here at the bar, although we are departing for a U.S. Thanksgiving trip in mid-November. This time - my side of the family in Montana.
Another round, Ruth, while I settle in for some absorbing of the preceding pages of rewarding material.
BK in Alberta, Canada's beautiful high mountain country!
Until the next time!
Lars
Well hello there Ruth my dear , I hardley recognized you in that french maid outfit And I didn't think someone could successfully wear less than the Bikini team.
So quite a bit has transpired since sunday when i was last seen , escorting the money to bail out poor Nick. It seems that the second classer's somehow managed to sneak an operative onto the team , she produced a rather large sheleiligh from her lower swim wear and knocked me sencless. I had to draw the cheque for the bail money from the benevolent fund of tthe ladies of perpetual motion , who by the way are quite goog and mending broken heads
Tom-A fine presentation of sunday phoot's from you sir always much appreciated around these parts.Yesterday's october events in canadian rail history was of coarse well recieved as well. Seems like october is CN's month.hopefully tonights halloween shindig is not being hosted by Boris'e family again ( the crash team at the mentor hospital is still overworked from the Darts challenge )
I'm in complete aggreement with you however, our newest three members to are band are indeed helping to bind the team together around these parts. a 5x for that to be sure. Great Monon info to kick off this last tuesday of october as well. A railway that I've been able to pull litttle info from above and beyond what you and BK and CM3 have so generously provided today.
I'm glad to see the references to the Rememberance day Poppies as well, we have been wearing ours for about a week now at this point.
Dl-Great info provided by you yesterday, thankyou. The museum in Hamilton does indeed contain one of two flying Lancasters left. It is fittingly painted as 419 Moose squadron's VRA in tribute to the original VRA's late mid upper gunner Andrew Mynarski who was presented a posthumous VC for his heroism during VRA's last flight. I've been lucky enough to see to flights by the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster this year. Pictures will be forth comming. Thank's for the links to the seagoing tram, hopefully everyone was able to enjoy that link.
James-great photo's and a neat new sunday spot to be looked forward to !
Pete-I aggree with Tom ,we need to get Alan to pop by and share a pint with us all. This weeks pictures were to die for as usual. I have heard back from three fingered Charlie Mentors professional taxidermist that the damage sustained by the moosehead is just superficially cosmetic and that he willsoon have it right as rain again.I think you are correct in that the mysterious green glow was indeed the residue of H&H's hammerbrau gone bad.I still blame Boris's use of Nitro glycerin as a cutting agent in it's manufacture for the blast
BK & Lars-Nice to see the bookends in again with relevant contributions and comments towards today's theme railway Also lars you are right it's a shame that we all missed BK's birthday and the 18 month bday of the bar. We are all on the doc for a round for the house and a delayed halloween/birthday bash for BK.
Eric-I'm glad that you liked the interurban shots, it would be interesting to see those Stockholm cars at some point. As to the girls I never Kiss and tell. Or in the immortal words of Sgt Shultz I Know Nothing... I see nothing "
Nick-I'm glad that you amde it out alive.And sorry about the wait, your next lager or three shall be on me
CM3-Well a fine capper to the Mentor sporting news.Imgaine everyone ( principals ) survived and the cup is still at this posting intact and on the mantle in the Rat's Patoot room.One question though. Armadillo mud wrestling One can tell it's halloween.Great add into today's theme as well sir. Interesting to see that the Monon was one of the first railways to institute scheduled name freights with the demise of passenger service.
Rob
THEME FOR THE DAY THEME FOR THE DAY THEME FOR THE DAY
As I had said earlier the Monon was a toughy as far as me finding anything terrible deep and different than that of what our good captain has provided. Here however is my humble attempt to further the point of our saloon by the siding.
CLASSIC DIESELS # 35 FM'S ON THE MONON
Alot of talk and pictures and articles have been produced over the years on the Monon's legendary BL2's and the stalwart RS2's that made up a great proportion of their deisel locomotive fleet. They did however dabble with a few road switches from Fairbanks Morse.Which all toiled in relitive obscurity.Which is odd in that they were so few in number given that the Monon's President that brought them on the property was once an employee of Fairbanks Morse.
John Walker Barringer III was just starting to make a name for himself in 1945 when he left fairbank's Morse where he was their manager of it's diesel engine and railroad division to become the president of the Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville ( The Monon ). Even at this he only brought three FM units to his new charge an H10-44 #18 ( 1000hp B-B trucked switcher )which worked it's entire carreer 1946-64 as the Laffeyette yard engine.The other two FM's were both H15-44 ( 1500hp BB road switchers ) #'s 45 and 46 wetre brought in as general road freight engines. Both of these units were re-engined in 1960 with EMD 567C's as was something that happened to many of FM's products in latter years. Perhaps he knew something about the FM's prim movers not quite being the best thing for rigorous railway service. Still all three units were the rare beasts of choice for many of the midwests locomotive hunters.By 1966 all three units had been scrapped off of the Monon having toiled in the trenches and not recieving the laurals of the F3's and BL2's or RS2's that most railfans associate with the Monon.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Leon- Set the guys up a drink. And me. I will have a Coke, Please.
Great times ahead. Starting with one of my favorite times of the year. Pumpkin carving is one of my specialties!
Tom- I got it. The food thing thats is. I understand and it will go into my memory. Thanks. BTW: Thank you for letting me in. I am glad things have spiced up since that time we came. It has been quite an experience talking to the guys and about all the other railroads. It has been fun, and I hope more is to come.
The Herzhog line is familiar to me. Infact I know that whatever locomotive they get, they usually keep the same paint scheme as it was before. The same thing happens on the Northern Plains railroad. It is also a Short line railroad that had bought some Santa Fe GP9s and all they did was renumber the locomotive and put there own reporting marks on them.
\
Sorry for this pic. I know it's not part of the theme of the day. But this is from my archieve of pics and these are the Northern Plains Geeps. Very similar to Herzhog.
Nick- Glad you liked the pics. I would love to join you sometime by the flames. It would be quite fun. But yes, more issues to come and more pics.
Eric- I am also happy to see you liked the pics. Yes I known the Beavertails are strange, and I agree but I guess people really enjoyed riding the cars. It would have been fun to do so. Sorry you couldn't post the F's. I would have really liked to have seen them. But hey I am sure there nice. Hey the Union Pacific train was shot just west of Kimball, Nebraska.
Rob- Glad you liked the pics. I will have more issues to come in the future and they will hopefully become more interesting as each Sunday progresses.
Now, Its time for some more pics, The Monon railway.
The BL2. It was ugly and great at the same time. Quite a rare sight to behold. I don't know much about this type of locomotive, so maybe somebody can explain the signficance of it's interesting and peculiar shape.
The Alco C424. A 2400 HP locomotive used for road trains. I would have liked to have set eyes on one of these. The "chug" of an Alco is unlike any other.
Now you get big! The Alco C628 was a monster. 2800 HP and almost 20 feet longer than the C424. This would have been a thing to see. Just imagine the "chug" coming out of this one in run 8.
Running late today so I will have a Holden's bitter please LEON.
Very much enjoyed the MONON theme day, a line I knew very little on but thanks to TOM, CM3, LARS BK and ROB I am wiser. It is hard to find a lot about the line on the web. I can add a bit about the Latte SUB which connected with the Monon at Bedford. This former Milwaukee road has passed in to the hands of the Indiana Rail Road in May of this year,they have trackage rights over the ex Monon to Louisville. There is a piece about this in the November issue of Trains.
A busy Monday evening.
JAMES Thanks for the video linksand info on the locos.
NICK Great article from the Oct '65 Railway Mag , do you have many of these mags.
I must to your knowledge of the One after 909, it is just that I thought I had read that is was after a train but that was many moons( and beers) ago. To make up, how about the story of Ivor the Engine Driver in the mini opera on the Who's second album " A Quick One".
There are some great stations on that part of the line by Purley, I think that is a great part of the Southern's charm in that the stations have not been " modernized" ( or ruined ) as so many have on the other regions.Alan tells me they are running a railfan train down the Ardingly branch soon.
ERIC Thanks for the info on the Big Boy, I have managed to see three of the survivors. Think of the great publicity UP would get if they would sponser a restoration to running condition of one of them.
DL Many thanks for the description of the Duchess trip sounds a great day out there is somthing magical in seeing a steam loco in the night
Real shame about the Jobsworth, from what I hear there seems to more of them about on the British railways in recent times, most staff are OK but it only needs one to spoil things. I think they would be far happier in their job if there was no such thing as paying passengers to spoil their day.
Yes we were fortunate in Rugby to see the Duchesses one of my favourite spots was a place called Cathiron about 3 miles north of the Town where they could be watched a speed. another, not far from the house, was Newbold Troughs where the locos picked up water from the pans between the rails. I have said before here, that usually the Duchesses we saw were from the English sheds , like Camden(London), Crewe North, Edge Hill (Liverpool) etc but for one glorious summer the Polmadie (Glasgow) loco worked through to London on the Royal Scot instead of coming off at Carlisle and being replaced by an English one. Polmadie locos were very rare at Rugby.
The one weakness of Stanier locos is their whistle, I believe it was based on a Caledonian Hooter if they are working well you get a WHOOP out of them, if they are not on form they sound like a sick cow having something nasty done to it.
If I remember correctly that when a Duchess was tested on the Rugby Rolling Test Plant even two stokers could not keep up with the boiler so, as you say, the top steaming rate was never known.Imagine if they had been fitted with mechcanical stokers
By the way I was on the trip shown in the second link on June 17th.
I will have to come back to the preformance tables.
LARS BK and ROB great to see you in. Our Place is not the same without you.
TOM It seems like the "Get Tom to England" campaign is growing. I sure you would love it despite the warm beer.
Those traffic signals on the Monon sounds a good idea, I wonder if many did get caught out by a blown bulb.
On the Poppies they were always available at the factory I worked at every year in aid of the British Legion. Quite a few years back a steam tour, I was able to go on, along the North Wales Coast with the ex LMS loco Princess Elizabeth was organised with the proceeds going toThe Royal British Legion. On the train was one of the nameplates from the Royal Scot class loco which carried that name.
James I will catch up with your post now,
Hope to call in later Pete.
Didjano that this happens to be BORIS' B'day Yep - for those who have followed the happenings here at the Saloon by the Siding, Halloween 'n Boris go hand-in-hand. Our cloven footed Cyclops is now one year older . . . Only Nick can explain this in greater depth.
So, for those who haven't joined in on the fun - stop by the pool room and check out the bill o' fare put together by the H&H gals - go slow, however - last year we had the volunteer fire departments from all adjacent counties answering the calls!
Enjoyed the submissions from Rob 'n James along with those from BK 'n Lars - well done gents! I declare our Tuesday Theme for the Day! MONON a success!
Bar Chandler Rob - Count Robulla - you're off the hook once again! Seems that Inspector Clueless of the Local Constabulary and his earstwhile sidekick Mr. Doyle, Private Investigator have corroborated your story regarding the bathtub cash and the bailout for Chief Chef Nick from the lockup over in the Can-Am Mountain Village. Glad the Ladies of Perpetual Motion were able to front the money - however, we now have a DEBT to repay, plus come up with sufficient cash for the tub in order to meet payroll.
Now the business with those Bikini Team gals is another story - but one that is none of our bees wax I (aka: business). So, whatever your story - stick with it!
Just caught your Post Wolfman Pete! Gotta save up some time to check it out! However, did pick up on one comment - the warm beer. Three things in this life that I dearly detest: (1) Warm beer (2) Wet toilet paper (3) Rude people!
Leon, set 'em up and I'll head to the pool room to see how Boris 'n his friends are doing . . . . ommmigosh - the critters are out! There's wrapping paper all over the place . . . some of those gifts are rather strange . . . . but then again . . .
Nite! 'n a final Auf Wiedersehen!
Good evening gentlemen all-stirup cups of Halloween punch all round please Leon (but for goodness sake,no smoking or lighted matches near the punchbowl please.....)
Just sneaked through from the pool room where Chrissie and the boys are busy setting up ready for tonights musical extravaganza,many points of interest so far today:-
BK-Ashamefully belated to you my friend,sounds like you had quite a time anyway
ROB-I was just delighted to see you dear boy....................
TOM-thanks for info re poppy day `over there`
DL-try http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/nickinwestwales/th_pge1.jpeg for the magazine article--R.E Blue Pullmans,that was definately the best livery-the yellow ends version was tolerable but the grey/blue `corporate` makeover was a travesty --Nice write up on your trip-worth every penny would be my verdict
A splendid contribution to theme day right across the board-nice work gents (and LYDIA of course)-great info,great pix
Right,best go and do a bit of shouting in the galley (I believe it`s called `supervising`...) then back out to the poolroom for a soundcheck ( musicianspeak for a last run through of the shakiest numbers in the set before the audience arrives ) back in a bit
P.S---DL-link doesnt seem to work,try opening up photobucket and logging on as nickinwestwales using password barfly1
LADEEZANGENELLMEN---showtime in the poolroom...................................
Well I just spent the last hour typing out Boris` life story,hit enter and was directed to Kalmbachs forum admission page and the text dissapearred into the ether --Thanks Kalmbach for this WONDERFUL new format-too late to start again now,will have another go tomorrow-enjoy the party guys
Popped in to wish BORIS. Really sorry I missed BK's.
LEON I think the Zepplin has brought over some Moorhouse's Pendle Witches Brew over for the party.
AWK is looking his best although TEX is a bit scary with the flourescent paint on his shell. I think FROSTBITE is laying low at the moment, probably a wise move until BORIS has unwrapped his present.
So I will find a good spot in the pool room, as far away from the punch bowl as I can, and get ready to listen to some great music.
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the haunted house.
Boris takes the cake
Do the Mash, it's a graveyard smash.
The zombies are having fun, the party has just begun.
Rapido
http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_view.cfm?photoid=8578052&id=77
Train of Tomorrow
http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2006020113162219127.jpg
Semaphores north of Romney, Indiana
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=169732121&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=169834815&size=o
Monon Map (you can find Romney on it)
http://mononrr.com/mimages/maps/map_01.gif
Timetable cover
http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/dc014&CISOPTR=59&REC=15
Exxon station
http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/dc012&CISOPTR=6698&REC=7
4-6-2
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/monon/mon-s452atk.jpg
F3ABA
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_mon61.jpg
Louisville
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ky/ky0000/ky0021/photos/070970pv.jpg
Dearborn Station
http://digital.library.arizona.edu/harvey/finding_aid/4il/4/4-4-2.html
Chicago
http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/Oldies/Monon_502_T.jpg
http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/Oldies/ATSF_301_T.jpg
http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/Oldies/NW_2478_T.jpg
http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/Oldies/IC_4032_T.jpg
http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/Oldies/IC_obs_car_2.jpg
Mike
Well good e-v-en-ing ( sorry best Vincent Price I could muster ) Leon I think I'll grab a draft and one of the asbestos suits the hazmat team left behind , the punch bowl's taken on an evil greenish glow and Boris is playing with the new flamethrower that Frostbite bought him for his birthday
Nick-I'm glad that you made it out alive as well , but wow I think I saw most of the band at the Second Class saloon last week ,somehow they don't seem any more approachable or friendly LOLChalk your lost post to halloween software gremlin's, the worst of their lot !
James-Great pictures to end off the Monon theme .Let me tell you six axle century series locomotives were a sight to behold !I can easily remember sets of three C636's ( six axle 3600hp Alco monsters ) flying up CP Rails Hamilton sub with mainline high priority stack and intermodal trains as late as 1993 ! What a delight for the sences. The BL2's were designed as a transfer service engine using the same trucks electricals and guts of F3 locomotives. The odd cab and "porch" were designed to allow the crew better visability while switching either in yards or at industrial areas .They were not a success in that they still had the full car body which restricted rearward visability, and very few railroads embraced the design. the Monon, Western Maryland, th C&O & The Bangor are Arostook were the bigger users. Once Alco brought out their RS1 with it's more view friendly design the roadswitcher hood units were born EMD soon brought out the GP7 to counter and did not look back. The BL2 design was quietly shelved soon after it was built.
Pete-Good to see you back in again this evening, I'll stay safley to the rear of the pool room wiht you should anything ignitetrying to tempt Tom into buying warm beer is dirty pool, but I'm sure he could learn to tolerate it if you do get him to the old country.
Mike-I'm glad that you requested that favourite of halloween favourites the monster mash can't have a costume or in this case birthday party without Great line up of Monon shots in your urls as well sir.BTW I didn't find Romany on the map, mind you it might be the fumes from the punch.
Tom-I'll take yours and my own advise mum's officially the word. I've offered to do some "landscaping" for the Ladies hall and to judge their next open night performance ( for free ) They concider the debt payed. With the returns from the till after tonights party and the royalties for the book on how we won at darts the payroll is covered for several weeks
Hi Tom
Good morning – mug of tea for me and a bacon cob please.
Plenty of items in recent post to catch up on but I’m going to start with by far the most important – warm beer. Pete, are you deliberately winding Tom up? I think we have got to get something straight here. The beer this side of the pond is not, in fact, warm, it should be ‘cellar temperature’ ie cool – but fair enough it is not ice cold. Now, there is an important reason for this – and that is because a really good pint of British Beer has one heck of a lot of flavour – and if that were made too cool the flavour gets killed off. Imagine the tastiest drink you have ever tasted, slightly cool, real depth of flavour – then you have it! And in any case I’ve seen a (few) select UK locations where beers like Chicago Goose Island are available – I seem to recall that was a good Chicago beer. Of course the Budweiser is all over the place but I mean to cause no offence by saying the less said about that the better…
On to other matters – thanks for the Poppy explanation Tom – what we have also seen here is a revival of the minute silence at 11 am on 11th Nov – such that at the office the reminder comes over the computer network just before (doesn’t stop some j**k ringing the 'phone at the crucial moment though), and I know the railways now announce it over the speakers at main stations for example.
RPO day – I don’t mind kicking the day off as there has been some other interest (thanks Lars) – mine will be UK stuff, so need someone to be prepared to come in with some interesting North American material if we are to go ahead – what’s the view from others?
Chicago – yep – if a future visit is in order a link up would be fine – after all would it give me an excuse to ride Amtrak to St Louis? My other half’s cousin lives in suburban Chicago (not far from a Metra station too) – I guess we should plan a visit some time.
Eric – yes the Duchess of Sutherland is a 4-6-2, that seemed to be the standard wheel arrangement for express passenger steam in the UK in the later years. Interestingly the very famous British Hornby Dublo toy company made a model of this class of loco in the 40s and 50s (the Duchess of Atholl) – they made an export version by taking the model, painting it black and labelling it Canadian Pacific and putting a cow catcher on the front – pretty collectible here although no scale model of any CPR loco I guess.
There were 8 & 10 driving wheeled locos here too but I think they were designed primarily for freight. As you rightly note Eric, no headlight (in fact headlights have only become mandatory in the UK in the last 10 years or so – and that is for safety of track workers and only on modern stock – the idea being that steam makes so much noise etc that you don’t need a headlight!). Marker lights for identification fired by lamp oil I think. Also – probably unique in the world – Britain’s railways are fenced in lines – that is right – nearly every mile is fenced in the whole way – to go in the fenced area is to trespass so you don’t need a light to see obstructions since there should not be any (!). Must still be a pain to maintain those miles of fence though, and plenty of stories of farmers claiming compensation off the railway when their animals got through fences that were supposedly ill maintained and got killed on the line.
Pete – yes, modernization has wrecked many a station – de staffing soon followed by demolition – I read that the BR western region in the 1970s had a deliberate policy of flattening all buildings on small stations after they were de-staffed and replacing with a bus shelter – a crime. I suspect the south London stations have survived through lack of investment to rebuild with smaller more ‘appropriate’ buildings. After all many of the LNWR buildings got re-done on the Euston – Manchester route during the 60s modernization / electrification did they not? A few older stations are listed for historic interest of course. One of the things that impressed me in the USA and Canada was that stations were maintained as proper buildings, with good facilities, and often some community input, even when they may only be served by a small number of trains. This certainly applies to places I have been on Amtrak and Metra, and VIA too.
Duchess at the Water troughs north of Rugby eh? Now that must have been a site to see – wow. Come to think of it I wonder why one of the preserved lines does not set up a set of troughs – just for the fun of it – Great Central would be the obvious place I would think. There are a few locations around the network where the old water tower that used to feed the troughs still stands derelict beside the line (I know at least one near Tamworth on the Derby to Birmingham route) the whole tank sitting there rusty - I wonder if it is full of water or rusted through! A preservationist could take this down brick by brick and rebuild). You made an interesting point about the whistle – maybe our whistle was not on form on Saturday hence the quiet attitude? By the way, I expect you know the National Railway Museum are re-streamlining class mate ‘Duchess of Hamilton’ – I can’t wait to see that!
I think you will enjoy the Performance Tables website – nicely displayed data from various UK regions. The person concerned must have had some ability to do some mileage in the day.
Nick – thanks for the link – will follow up in due course – kind of you to take the trouble – very much appreciated
Rob – thanks for the Hamilton info - glad you liked the daddy long legs
Mike – great links enjoyed the classic era jpeg photos in particular
BK – hope you had a good time in Banff – always looks great on the pictures there.
Tom – as you enjoyed that Blue Pullman pic I thought you’d like this link – gives a detailed insight into the life and times of these absolutely fascinating trains. Well worth a look the ‘Introduction’ and ‘decline’ pages. In fact part of a stylishly designed site about all of the ‘1st generation' - 1950s to 60s mostly of UK diesel railcars.
http://www.railcar.co.uk/hisOthers/BPintro.htm
Also some great colour pics from the superb film Blue Pullman here – choose the Films page, A-Z – title ‘Blue Pullman’ – worth a look.
http://www.britishtransportfilms.co.uk/
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