"OUR" PLACE - SEE NEW THREAD!

[coalminer3]

Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. I guess we'll do a medley for the mascots: Blue Christmas, Jingle Bells (Singing Dogs version), and for those of us old enough to remember Pogo, "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie." That 'oughta hold 'em for awhile. Thanks to our 'steamed proprietor for including neat UP and PRR materials. DL sent wide-ranging comments. Wether over there sounds lovely. Lars - Agree with the ads - still hoping for the Giants, but......... Incidentally, I apologize for yesterday's post being all mashed together. The forum decided it wanted it that way. I gave up after trying to edit it three times. I just tried posting this and it's still doing it Here's a winter encore for the season Of Berkshires and Roundhouse Cats The Delaware and Hudson is an old operation, originally founded some 160 years ago as a canal company to tap the rapidly growing Pennsylvania anthracite business. Anthracite gradually succumbed to the inroads of oil and natural gas which were cheaper, cleaner, and infinitely easier to handle. After all, why shovel coal or tend a stoker when you could heat your house by flicking a switch? Declining anthracite traffic forced the D&H to look elsewhere for business. They exploited bridge traffic (handling freight quickly between connecting railroads) and also became a major carrier of paper and forest products. Thus the slogan on their boxcars, “The Bridge Line Between New England and Canada.” With time, the D&H became somewhat eccentric. They were not a New England railroad in the true sense of the phrase, but they acted like one. They dieselized early, replacing their steam engines with a fleet of Alco road switchers which burbled and smoked their way between Pennsylvania and the Canadian border. The somber black and yellow paint of the early diesels gave way to a handsome gray and blue livery highlighted by yellow stripes. The Delaware and Hudson remained solvent while all those around them drowned in a sea of red ink. While nominally independent, the D&H was actually controlled by a holding company called Dereco which also owned the Erie-Lackawanna, a bloated and tarnished remnant of two once-proud railroads. Dereco was in turn controlled by the voracious and profitable Norfolk and Western, thereby creating a Gordian knot of ownership which kept the lawyers happy. Neither the N&W nor the D&H liked the arrangement, and the D&H managed to break loose and go its own way. This is when the eccentricity became more visible. The gray and blue livery gave way to blue and yellow, green and yellow, or red and yellow, or red, white, and blue on a few engines. The old Alcos were traded, scrapped, or rebuilt to squeeze a few more miles out of them. The D&H actively solicited passenger traffic and for awhile ran what was arguably the classiest passenger train in the east. Their PAs stood out in a desert of Amtrak blandness as they operated in daily service between Albany and Montreal. If that were not enough, the Baldwin freight engines that were on the property represented a change from the Alco monolith of the 1950s and 60s. Rouses Point, New York – especially in the winter – is at the end of the world. Rouses Point exists because of two things: the Canadian border and the Delaware and Hudson Railway. Rouses Point is the North Pole of the Delaware and Hudson. The town’s life is tied to the ebb and flow of the railroad’s traffic. The citizen’s outlook is torn between nervousness over Quebecois politics and the more prosaic concerns of trying to scratch out a living and run a railroad in the pinched meanness of the North Country. There is still time, however to sit down to a breakfast of oatmeal, ham and eggs, home fries, toast or donuts, and coffee, before going out to work in the cold, and talk about hunting, ice fishing, or hockey. It never seems to snow in Rouses Point. The snow is always there, like the wind and the gray sky. The snow squishes underfoot, blows in clouds around you, or sits passively; waiting for you to slip and fall face down. So it was that I found myself in Rouses Point. The D&H has a stone station at Rouses Point, a roundhouse of uncertain vintage (with a turntable), a small fuel facility, and a yard cluttered with mangled freight cars. Winter is tough on steel. The roundhouse is really the heart of things; if only because it is warm. People can freeze outside, but diesels need some warmth when they are not running, lest they crack a block or become impossible to start because of weak batteries and congealed fuel. Most roundhouses are filled with dogs, but Rouses point is alive with cats. Cats of all types – friendly and unfriendly – black cats, orange cats, red cats, white cats, calico cats. You never see many of them, but you know they are in the shadows, watching you with unmoving eyes. It’s Sunday morning, early, and there is not really much happening. The lights are on in the foreman’s office and a small group of men are inside, clustered around the stove, and drinking coffee. The talk is of sick engines and bad cars, and the continual problems that they present to their keepers. This is the sort of talk heard on any railroad. Close your eyes and you could be in Radnor, Tennessee or Huntington, West Virginia. Over in a corner somebody is making a fearsome din while hammering on a piece of metal. An elderly RS3 sits dead on one of the tracks. She has come in from the cold for her monthly inspection. Then, on the other track, I see her; looking strangely out of place. She emerged from the fires of Lima in time to help win the war, and then beat the best that LaGrange, Beloit, and Eddystone could offer until the inevitable end. She sat neglected for years until she was brought back to life by the very Nickel Plate shops which spurned her so many years ago. This was Nickel Plate 759 – dead, cold, and impounded because of a political dispute, To this day, I have no idea what exactly she was doing at Rouses Point – probably hiding from those who would take her back. The lady and I got reacquainted while she slept waiting awaiting her price’s kiss. I had seen her take the railroad apart on freight and excursion trains; listened as she walked up Horseshoe in 1969. Now she was at Rouses Point. Somehow, it did not seem the same, but I felt good knowing that she was in out of the cold and the snow. It wasn’t Buffalo or Bellevue, but it was at least warm under the watchful eye of the roundhouse cats. Best wishes for a Merry Christimas to all. Will be offline forawhile Work safe

[siberianmo]

 

G'day Gents!

Friday at the Saloon by the Siding. Winter has arrived, according to the calendar the Winter Solstice is upon us. Skies here in mid-continent USA are blue and forecasts are for temps in the 40s (F), with no precipitation anticipated for the next several days. <bah humbug!> ‘Tis time to start the day with a steaming mug of our freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee. Then check out The Mentor Village Bakery case and our Menu Board for <light> and <traditional> breakfasts!

 

To the acknowledgments!

 

CM3 at 8:49 AM yesterday: Lionel trains were made for not only watching, but for listening. No matter what the position, upright, sitting on the floor, or "belly down" (as you put it) they were terrific to enjoy while passing those days of our youth.

 

My guess is we'll not be seeing you this weekend, therefore, a Merry Christmas to you and yours along with a Happy 2007! Give the K9 Corps some treats on "Our" Place! <grin>

 

DL at 11:32 AM yesterday: Hope you and yours have the happiest of holidays as the Christmas season gears up. Happy 2007 too!

 

Our Canada trip has been scheduled; all that remains to be done is to get going! Should your plans change, let me know and I'll share the dates with you. However, Email is the preferred method as I'm not for putting the details of personal activities into the Ether.

 

Lars at 4:23 PM yesterday: Another "day saving" Post from the Larsman! Thanx for keeping us afloat during these looooooooong and lonely times. Figure you'll be soon amongst those shutting down the keyboards in favor of more productive and hopefully happy times ahead!

Looking forward to anything you come up with regarding the trains from your youth!

 

DL at 5:42 AM today: Back again! Didn't expect to see ya, but appreciate the visit. Fog bound in GB, eh I enjoyed your thoughts regarding the situation as applied to the rails. Seems rather similar to what we experience from time to time over here. Not the fog, but the rush to the rails when the weather creates havoc for the airline industry. Then the chagrin sets in when the realization hits home that we simply do not have trains running "every which way" to accommodate one and all, irrespective of schedules and capability of course.

 

Many thanx for the article on the "Silver Princess" by Budd. It wasn't until I began interacting at this bar with liked-minded souls that I learned of the connection between the U.S. and GB regarding the Budd manufactured passenger cars. Same for the Pullman Company. Oh how easy it is to be introspective, eh Really appreciate the ‘stuff' you share with us.

 

CM3 at 8:00 AM today: Great to see ya, didn't expect to. Formatting difficulties I see. Nevertheless, a fine ENCORE! essay regarding those D&H locos, et al! Many thanx - well worth the read, fer sure, fer sure!

Many THANX for keeping us in mind as mornings won't be quite the same 'til we see ya again!

10,000^th Post CONTEST entries (in order of submission):

Feb 14^th - BK

Feb 15^th - Lars

Mar 12^th - Pete

Jan 1^st - James

Jan 28^th - Eric

Jan 18^th - DL

Feb 8^th - Doug

Jan 31^st - Rob

Mar 15^th - CM3

 

CONTEST closes TODAY!!

 

 

Reminder: Ruth opens up at 9 AM until Leon the night man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.

 

And, we will be CLOSED all day Sunday and Monday - Christmas Day! The bar will reopen for business at 6 AM (all times zones) on Tuesday, Dec 26^th!!

 

Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!

 

Tom

[wanswheel]

Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200507100957392290.jpg... http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2003031412530725883.jpg... http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=2005042315465223052.jpg... http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/T/T30/T3064-150dpi.jpeg... http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/T/T31/T3103-150dpi.jpeg

[DL - UK]

Hi Tom and all in

Yep, well I think this'll be the last post I guess, I'll take a pint of Kimberley Bitter whilst I'm in.

Nice info from CM3 on the D&H enjoyed reading that.

Mike - some nice links - esp enjoyed the Water Level Route ads - very evocative!

Tom - yes, you need to keep details like that off the ether - new years resolution for me - sort my e-mail!

Well, fog's not lifted here, darkness has fallen and there's more than few characters spilling out of bars and such like having had one too many of the seasonal stuff!

Might end the day with a trip down the station to see what's going on on the rails.

Meanwhile I'll sign off with some links to seasonal posters, UK style:

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10174913&wwwflag=2&imagepos=8

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10174982&wwwflag=2&imagepos=5

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10175715&wwwflag=2&imagepos=7

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10174920&wwwflag=2&imagepos=3

Best wishes to all the regulars and your families etc, been a pleasure to meet you all this year. When the 25^th rolls round and you're opening your gifts etc, hark back to the feel of your first train set, try hard and you'll probably be able to conjure up the very smell of the cardboard packaging, however many years ago that was, and if it was electric - the smell of that 12v motor springing into life!

All the best, see you in 2007

DL

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

These special Posts will be provided thru Saturday to help keep us in the proper spirit!

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #3 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . THE PULLMAN COMPANY . . . . . . . . . .

 

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday travel retyped from a 1948 advertisement in my private collection:

. . . . . . . . . . Christmas Cargo . . . . . . . . .

They'll be home for Christmas! There are miles of snow and mountains ahead. But this family will spend their night before Christmas snug and secure in their Pullman compartment. They bring gifts for her folks back home. But his greatest gift to that proud Grandfather and Grandmother will be the sight of their first grandchild.

He'll be home for Christmas! He's a hard working trouble-shooter for his company, and business almost kept him away for Christmas. But there'll be no disappointments in this father's house tomorrow morning. Traveling Pullman, he and his presents will arrive safe and sound right in the heart of town, just a stones' throw from Christmas at home.

She'll be home for Christmas! "Dear Mother and Dad," she wrote. "I'll be home for Christmas with a straight "A" for the quarter. Don't you think that deserves going Pullman?" It does and it did. But more important, her mother and father will sleep as soundly tonight as she will, knowing she's traveling the safest, most comfortable way to be home for Christmas.

. . . . . To be sure you'll be home for Christmas . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Go Pullman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE SAFEST, MOST COMFORTABLE WAY TO GET THERE!


Enjoy!

Tom

[LoveDomes]

G'day Cap'n Tom & fellow travelers at the bar!

 Ruth, a frosty mug of Piels, a Larsman 'special' - hero sandwich with ham, Swiss, mustAHd 'n buttAH, two pickles from the barrel, a saucer of brine for Tex, seeds for Awk, ice cubes for Frostbite and a small jar of pickled pig's feet for Boris! <phew> Oh yeah, a round for the house and keep the change . . .

Nice Urls from Mike 'n DL and a fine narrative from CM3 I'm NOT Shane! (in spite of the formatting difficulties!). Merry Christmas to you three and a most Happy New Year!

 Tom, I realy like those Christmas railroad travel ads and permit me to add my own "twist" to the posts for the season:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to make it back later on, but if not, tomorrow for sure. I have more of the above to post!

 

Received your Email, Tom, and I'll get something out after the holidays. Appreciate your keeping all of us apprised.

 

Until the next time!

Lars

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

These special Posts will be provided thru Saturday to help keep us in the proper spirit!

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #4 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday travel retyped from a 1949 advertisement in my private collection:



. . . . . . . . . . Give your family the . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . for Christmas . . . . . . . . . .

Go Santa Fe to Phoenix, Wickenburg, Palm Springs and Southern California

You've promised yourself to take the family on a winter vacation sometime.
This is the year! Why not make it your Christmas present to them?
The resorts and ranches in sunny Arizona and Southern California are
beckoning and Santa Fe's famous fleet of fine trains to those "sun spots"
offers schedules and accommodations to suit you to a "T."


Enjoy!

Tom

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

These special Posts will be provided thru Saturday to help keep us in the proper spirit!

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #5 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday travel retyped from a 1950 advertisement in my private collection:

. . . . . . . . . . Merry Christmas from all . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . on your New York Central overnighter . . . . . . .

WHEN GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS,
Delay you can't afford.
So take the train. For, storm or rain,
I'll still say, "ALL ABOARD!"

Your N.Y.C. Conductor

. . . . . SEASONS GREETINGS!" Come in and dine.
. . . . . No other travel has meals as fine.
. . . . . The varied, fresh-cooked food's a treat,
. . . . . And you can sight-see while you eat!

. . . . . Your N.Y.C. Diner Crew

MY GIFT TO YOU is perfect rest.
Your big, soft bed's the very best.
So sleep, and wake up fresh next day.
You're traveling world's safest way!

Your N.Y.C. Pullman Porter

. . . . . THE BEST OF HOLIDAY GOOD CHEER
. . . . . And sociability are here.
. . . . . Enjoy refreshments, relaxation
. . . . . Aboard your Central observation.

. . . . . Your N.Y.C. Club Car Steward

WHITE CHRISTMAS in a song is swell.
But when you plan to travel - well,
If you'd be certain to arrive,
Best go by train, and let me drive!

Your N.Y.C. Engineer

PLAN YOUR HOLIDAY HOME-COMING ON NEW YORK CENTRAL'S GREAT FLEET OF DIESELINERS

. . . . . . . . . . GIFT IDEA! A TRIP HOME . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . Ask your New York Central . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . ticket agent about arranging . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . tickets and reservations as . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . your gift to a parent or youngster, . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . brother or sister away from home. . . . . . . . . . .


. . . . . . . . . . New York Central . . . . . . . . . .

The Water Level-Route - You Can Sleep


Enjoy!

Tom

[trolleyboy]

Good evening Leon , a Keith's and a round for the house, some early Christmas cheer for everyone.Looks like the forum softwares doing some odd things again. It did not record the two postings of picturees I put up on Sunday ( even though they appeared in the preview mode ) Monday I couldn't log on at all , and tonigth is the first time I've had time to try and post, I have no tool bar so who knows if this post will post or not. Also for some reason I caan't access page 447 at all ( just won't load ) so my comments unfortunatly will not include the disscussions from page 447 , sorry for those that will be left out. TOM - I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your rerolls on the Southern , and this last pages Christmas train ads , looks like I missed the first couple that were likely posted on 447. I have been following on with everyones emails regarding the bar etc. I haven't had much to add so i haven't responded to them,any emails I've sent on any matters to the forum managers have yet to even be acknowledged , I'm not even sure if they went through. at least I'm there in spirit . Sounds like quite the rail trip you have planned , should be fun and relaxing , good friends , good brew and multiple train trips can't get bettah than that fer sure fer sure CM3- Thanks for knowing my pain with the hours of late. i'm happy to report that once our little holiday shutdown here at the bar is over with, I should be back to my normal ( I know Tom's snickering at that one ) routine her at the ole saloon by the siding. Loved the Christmas post, a good read again , too bad I missed the D&H post though , perhaps I'll get the page to load tomorrow. Oh and a happiest of Holiday's to you and yours ,we'll see you when the holiday's are over and done with. BK- A very merry to you and Lydia as well, I know that you will be thinking of all of us while the two of you relax by the ocean have a wonderfull trip , we'll keep the talk and liquids flowwing while your away, and I will make sure that Boris keeps the fireplace fire stoked. Great Southern Locomotive shots the other day as well , heather said that the Green opf that Southern Engine was the nicest locomotive green that she has ever seen ( next to CN's #11 olive that is ) Mike- Ah yes many a wonderfull url from you as well sir, thanks for keeping te reseaarch dept. going here at the ole tavern. Pete - If I failed to mention Alans great pictures forgive me , I enjoyed them thouroughly I would suspect that you are correct the smaller size of English locomotives and the long service life to 1968 are certainly two good reason's why so many have been saved. that and I think that Europe in general is farther ahead at keeping the historic in the here and now than we are over this side of the pond.That steeple cab 335 is a long term restoration project, we have all the major components we need to get here running again, we just need to come up with the timew and money. We need to also find a use for it ( not really possible to give the public rides on it ) we do however have several frieght cars which are being reguaged to our guage so a bit of a freight train will be available to pull with it so we shall see. DL- Thanks for your input on te preserved steam in your parts as well.That and the tram car preservations. I'm guessing that it's Critch that you are close to. If so you are a lucky man with all that good historic rail equipment so close to home. have a wonderfull Christmas as well sir, we will see you after the holiday's. It's been a pleasure getting to know you as well. James-I'm glad you liked the GRR story, I'll run the sister article for LE&N this week ( server provideing ) and you aer welcome, the layout really is comming along nicley, makes me see the need to get back up into my attic and do something, I should have extra spare time come Jan and Feb. Doug- Nice to hear that Irish is running threough his paces again. I enjoyed the third part of the CGW article as well. They really did serve an interesting niche in railroading history.I see that our museum sold one of our trolley busses to an outfit in Illinois that want to restore it and get it running, was it the IRM ? Eric- Neat it was a PAcific Electric. neat looking little car, loved the train shots you provided as well some nice from teh cab shots. always prised by railfans and detail nuts like myself. Rob

[trolleyboy]

Sorry about everything run toheter guys, looks like the error on page prompt I got while putting together that reply sans the tool bar also left out the spacing I put in. frustrating to be sure. Rob

[trolleyboy]

Well here goes an encore if it will work still getting an error message from the forum so I have no tool bar for this post either. Any way part two of the CPR Electrics in Ontario as originally posted on page 224. Rob

Okay part two of the condensed versions of CP's ontario electrics

CLASSIC JUICE #18 THE LAKE ERIE & NORTHERN

The LE&N was a late commer as far as electric lines in Ontario go. It was concieved in 1910 to run from Galt to Port Dover, in an attenmpt by the CPR to develope a ferry connection to cross Lake Erie. It's route took it through Galt and along the East bank og the Grand River to Paris , where it passed under the GT. It then proceeded south through Brantford to Waterford,where it crossed the TH&B and the Canda Southern ( NYC) on a high level bridge. From here it angled to the southeasterly to Simcoe amd then to Port Dover on Lake Erie where it originallu used the GT station until permission to do this was withdrawn.

LE&N was a 1500v line using poles not pans as the L&PS did. They used a brick CPR plan station at Mount Pleasant and in Paris, and for Port Dover they used an international plane station similar to the GRR's at Galt. The LE&N shared the GRR's Galt station ( passenger could transfer easily line to line as both were CPR properties ). At Glen Morris they used an old stone house ( still there today ) while in Brantford they used an impressive two level station,with street entraanc above for cars ans the tracks below ( Market street on the Grand river now a parking garage for the Casino )This station was shared with the Brantford and Hamilton Radial railway ( classic juice #4 ) Which was a chore as the B&H ws a 600v line so only one company could have their cars in the station at a time,the overhead in the station could be switched powerwise depending on who was using it at the time. Besides 14 station stops the LE&N also served 35 flag stops along their route. ( small lean to shelters only )

Unlike the hourly service used by the GRR, the LE&N ran every two hours. In 1950 CPR applied for discontinuance of passenger service buit were refused.When this happened they (CPR) altered the timetable and built in inconvienient connections with the GRR and TH&B etc. The passemger counts then of coarse declined imediatly and abandonment was granted in 1955.

According to CPR practice most stations and flag stops were removed only the Mount pleasant and Port Dover stations survive.After passenger servive was discontinued electric freight operations did continue for a time. The line between simcoe and Port Dover was abandoned in 1962,the line between Branyford and Waterford in 1965 ( bcame a TH&B line then washed out in the 70's ) The sections between Galt and Brantford and Waterford and Simcoe lasted until the 1990's when they were finally abandioned. The freight service was deisilized after 1961and all overhead was taken down.

You can see most of the ROW from Brantford to Galt and Paris along HWY 24.

Unlike the GRR 90% of the LE&N's roling stock was wood interurbans passenger and combine cars. Like the GRR all were mu capable and they ran 32 to six car trains depending on the passenger levels. Only combine car 797 survives today ( Preston Car and Coach built in 1917 ) it is currently under restoration at our museum.

Enjoy Rob

[EricX2000]

Good morning Captain Tom and all present this early morning!!

Hello Boris, are you still awake? No thanks, I pass this time.

Back again after missing last night. It was after midnight when I was done baking some typical Swedish rolls for Christmas and I was too tired to start reading the posts. Instead I read them all tonight, or this morning to be more correct! As usual a lot of interesting reading and pictures!  

Tom –  Nice posts about Christmas trains. I saw on the news this morning that people taking Amtrak to get out of out of Denver (stranded at the airport) were not very happy. I think it took 27 hours to Chicago and they claimed the service on board was very poor.

I like the ad for Santa Fe! Take Santa Fe to Phoenix! If you are a hobo you still can. Thinking about it, it is amazing a city like Phoenix does not have any passenger service on rail any more!

We had only 50 degrees for high today and it was raining most of the day. That is winter enough for me.

CM3 –  It seems like you got the same kind of problems I had with this forum, unable to edit the mashed posts! I don’t know if Kalmbach’s programmer(s) is in control of what they are doing. I doubt it.

Chester sounds like it was good place to be during the festival and maybe still is (depending on CSX). No more Conrail trains running through Chester. I have copied and printed out your info about B & A line for future use when I go to Maine and Boston in 2008.

Thank you for the story about Rouses Point! I could feel the heat from the stove and smell the coffee! I will show your post to my wife, she will love the part about the cats!

While you still could see Conrail on B & A!

DL –  I think the fact that those camping coaches still are sitting on a track in a (disused) freight yard makes them even better! The owner is right about the size of a sleeper compartment, it is too small if you are going to stay several days.

I saw on the news about the fog in UK. But you can always take the train, fog or not!

Interesting info on the Budd car. It must have been built to the more narrow clearance profile for the British railways.

Nice Christmas posters! I even saw some pictures from Norway.

Lars –  Yes, you are right about addictive gidgets and gadgets. I am very addicted to the computer and let it take too much of my time. I try to stay out of the den at least one day/week.

Nice Christmas book covers and posters! It gives me a feeling that Christmas is coming soon!

Mike –  Thanks for the pictures! I especially liked the one from Palmer with the train passing across the diamond. And, of course the ad for the Water Level Route!

Rob –  Sorry to hear that you too are having problems with this forum and its format. I wonder if and when Kalmbach will get things in order?

Interesting story about Lake Erie & Northern! I understand that the freight service is still running today, right?

Time to hit the sack. This Saturday I have to finish my Christmas shopping and I am not looking forward to do the shopping. It will most likely be very crowded.

Eric 

[Anonymous]

Good morning Tom and friends. I'll have a light breakfast and then join the millions of procrastinators who do all their holiday shopping at the last minute. Peter, thanks for the SR car info, and the hoghead definition. Things are so much easier to understand when beer is added to the equation. I'm working on a way to do that with our birthday list, and instead of coming-up with Lar's hat size, the results now reflect the amount of imperial (sounds classy!) gallons of beer that CM3 will consume on his upcoming natal day. As a reminder, that will be the 29^th of this month. It was either DL or Eric who asked a while ago what "LCL" stood for. It's an acronym for "less than a car load". In other words, less freight than a railroad car is capable of hauling, therefore more than one shipper is used to fill out all the available room. The term "LTL" refers to "less than a truck load", and similarly applies to trucking. Nice couple of old nostalgic adds from leader Tom yesterday. I don't have any comments about our Metra problems here. As usual, it's always in the best interest of the company to blame a single individual (the engineer) rather than admit there is more than one area in need of attention. Same goes for airway disasters. The equipment and maintenance are fine, and the pilot is automatically guilty, and usually isn't even around to defend himself. Wonderful post from DL yesterday, and then an incredible post from CM3 on Berkshires and roundhouse cats. Really excellent stuff, sir. Quite the narrative yesterday from friend Rob, and all the holiday train adds from Tom were a welcome sight. Enjoyed manger Lars' holiday bookcovers. Rob, don't know if the IRM snatched your trolley bus. It's possible, but there are also several other places in Illinois that could have been interested. One of these days, I need to get down to Monticello, and see the train museum there. Sorry you couldn't see the last page on your computer. Hopefully the contents will resurface for you later in the form of an ENCORE. Thanks for yours by the way. And now, for something completely different .....

"Piggyback - Southern style" combines the best of rail and the best of road in one convenient package. Trailers picked up and delivered by truck are loaded two to a specially cushioned 85-foot flat car like this for rapid, dependable city-to-city movement by rail. Southern's rail-highway service is fast, flexible, convenient, and kind to the pocketbook. On this car you see two varieties of Southern's rail-highway equipment - both 40-foot aluminum trailers. One is a closed, mechanically-refrigerated van for shipping meat, frozen foods, or fresh produce; the other is an open-top trailer, with waterproof cover for freight that needs both weather protection and the convenience of open-top loading. Transfer from rail to highway - and visa versa - can be made at one of Southern's overhead transfer cranes or loading and unloading ramps. You'll find them strategically located throughout Southern's 8,200 miles of railway - always conveniently close to main highways and main-line tracks. Trailers and containers move out on Southern's fastest trains. Yes, trailers and containers. We have other varieties and sizes of rail-highway equipment. We'll load on the wheels or off, our own trailers and containers or a shipper's equipment. We will lease equipment to him if that serves his need best. The service is geared to usefulness and to meeting a shipper's individual needs for rapid transportation and a flexible distribution pattern.

Southern has aluminum rail-highway containers designed to meet a variety of needs for shipment of freight in carload and less-carload lots. Light, strong, easy to load and unload, the containers come in four convenient lengths. The forty-foot length is standard in Southern's rail-highway service. Those in the twenty-foot, ten-foot and five-foot lengths are for less-carload freight and other special uses. All provide the same convenience and security. Loaded and locked by the shipper, picked up and delivered by truck, the containers are handled to and from rail flatcars by overhead cranes at Southern's rail-highway transfer points. They can be loaded on a flatcar in any combination of lengths that add up to 80 feet. Count the advantages; Platform to platform convenience, the flexibility of truck pickup and delivery, dependable all-weather city-to-city movement by rail, no intermediate handling of packages to lose time and risk loss or damage. It all adds up to new dimensions of usefulness to our customers, especially in the handling of merchandise freight.

New automobiles ride in style on Southern's tri-level auto carriers like this one. Maybe your new car did. If so, you and the manufacturer saved money on transportation costs, thanks to the high carrying capacity of these cars and Southern's way of speeding them safely through modern yards. The car is almost 90 feet long. Basically it's an all-steel flatcar underframe on which is mounted a three-level steel rack that will hold twelve standard sedans and station wagons, or fifteen of the new compact cars. How do they get the cars on and off at the various levels? By using adjustable ramps at loading or unloading points. Tie-down chains hold the automobiles in place in transit. The car is equipped with 70-ton trucks and roller bearings, plus a cushioning device to absorb any jolts in transit. We want your new car to reach your dealer in tip-top-shape. Southern has two other types of automobile carriers for use where overhead clearances are a problem. One is a two-level rack car about the length of this car and the other is a tri-level car much like this one but with the added feature of an adjustable rack. Another example of volume transportaion by rail that saves you money.

Call this one "The Big Boy" if you wish. Lots of people do, If you think it's the largest box car you've ever seen, we agree with you. We believe it's the biggest box car ever built. It's so long that it has to have skylights in its roof to admit light in the car interior near the ends. It will hold more than a hundred hogheads of tobacco and is adaptable to other light bulky freight. Here are some dimensions: The over-all length over the lading protecting Super Cushion is 92 feet, the inside length is almost 85 feet, interior is 9 ½ feet wide and nearly 12 feet high at the center. There's about 10,000 cubic feet of space for light bulky loads. It has all the easy loading wide-door characteristics needed for the kind of freight it is intended to haul. Why was it built? Southern had lost much of its leaf tobacco business and wanted the business back. It looked into the reasons for the loss and learned that it was because we didn't have the right freight car. Other modes of transportation could move tobacco at less cost than we. A big, a very big car was needed. Southern built it. Shippers helped us test it. The results: More traffic back on the railroad. More transportation cost-savings for shippers.

Here's a rolling refrigerator that plays a role in getting frozen foods to your fa

[siberianmo]

 

G'day Gents!

Saturday and it's Christmas Eve-Eve! <grin> Feels like spring ‘round here, but temps are expected to drop a bit, but no snow. <groan> Noted that petrol up at "Collusion Corner" did make a jump to $2.27 (rounded).

 

Start your weekend with us with a steaming mug of our freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee. Then check out The Mentor Village Bakery case and our Menu Board for <light> and <traditional> breakfasts!

 

To the acknowledgments!

Mike at 9:21 AM yesterday: Most appropriate URLs and a Christmas Greeting - Love the Posters! Best of the season to you and yours, now and through 2007!

 

DL at 11:15 AM yesterday: Holiday posters from GB; fog update and Christmas Greetings! Always a pleasure to have you aboard and the best of 2007 to you and yours along with a Merry Christmas!

And there's no doubt, the smell of the "ozone" as the electric trains made their dutiful rounds is something embedded in the grey matter. Thanx for the reminder! <grin>

 

Lars at 2:06 PM yesterday: What a treat you provided for those of us still hanging in there! Great idea and most appropriate for the festive setting seen inside of "Our" Place! Thanx for being so supportive. [tu]

 

Rob at 11:46 - 11:48 - 11:55 PM yesterday: Formatting nightmare continues for some and through it all, you managed to make it back! Haven't got a suggestion to help you overcome this latest nonsense. Seems most of us have experienced a bit o' this ‘n that when it comes to logging in, formatting, absence of the tool bar, Pages that will not load and so forth.

 

CM3 sent an extremely interesting Email that I will share with most of you. He has offered some ideas for us to consider regarding the options we have when it comes to maintaining our communications, but elsewhere. Once the holidays pass by, I'll share them with those of you who have been interested enough to respond to the Emails sent.

Found your comments "right on" and it's nice to have you back with us. Snickering Moi Surely you jest!! <grin> Sorry, but you've been a most hit ‘n miss part-time employee ‘round the Saloon by the Siding, and more than one has wondered where you've been. BUT, we KNOW - if it isn't work, it's sleep and if not those two, trying to log on!

Nice ENCORE! with the Lake Erie & Northern.

 

Eric at 1:58 AM today: Yes, it IS difficult to accept Phoenix without a long distance passenger train connection. Wonder when the last one was

Ship some of those Swedish rolls into our kitchen! The gang would love ‘em. <grin>

Not surprised that people would complain about poor service aboard Amtrak. Considering that the organization has been on less than firm ground for decades, what kind of people wind up working for ‘em Not all, mind you, but my bet is that anyone looking for a serious career, isn't going to sign up with Amtrak. We see all kinds of supporting evidence for that postulate right here in mid-continent USA with the trains we have. It's indeed a rarity to come across a highly motivated employee. Some go through the motions, others could care less and every now ‘n then there's a "surprise" - someone who really gives a Rat's Patoot!

Also the time it took to get from Denver to Chicago - 27 hours - really doesn't seem that bad to me. We're hardly in an era where the times of the old "Zephyrs" can be replicated. Thirteen hours and five minutes in 1934!! Furthermore, people are so accustomed to traveling by air, that anything else is simply archaic - a mind set, fer sure, fer sure.

 

Doug at 6:37 AM today: Formatting Gremlin seems to have gotten you as well. Still, you're Post "made it" and appreciate the effort and material provided to those of us still hanging ‘round . . . . Really a shame to waste "original" material for so few - but we've been down that road before, eh <grin>

Sorry, but that SPAMALOT "thing" you Emailed to me just didn't load. Don't worry though, as mentioned several Pages back, we saw the live performance last month at our St. Louis Fox Theatre - so all's not lost. Thanx, anyway!

And the Southern Railway "lives" on here at the Bar by the Ballast! <grin. Nice work!

10,000^th Post CONTEST entries (in order of submission):

Feb 14^th - BK

Feb 15^th - Lars

Mar 12^th - Pete

Jan 1^st - James

Jan 28^th - Eric

Jan 18^th - DL

Feb 8^th - Doug

Jan 31^st - Rob

Mar 15^th - CM3

CONTEST closed YESTERDAY!

 

Reminder: Ruth opens up at 9 AM until Leon the night man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.

 

And, we will be CLOSED all day Sunday and Monday - Christmas Day! The bar will reopen for business at 6 AM (all times zones) on Tuesday, Dec 26^th!!

 

<

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

These special Posts will be provided thru Saturday to help keep us in the proper spirit!

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #6 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . THE PULLMAN COMPANY . . . . . . . . . .

 

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday retyped taken from a 1950 advertisement in my private collection:

. . . . . 3 questions to ask when you plan your Christmas trip . . . . .

1. "How safe?" - The weather is something you do
not worry about - when you go Pullman over the
Christmas holidays. Throughout your trip your
peace of mind is as weather-proof as your Pullman
Accommodations. You know you're even safer in a
Pullman crossing the country than you are in your
Own home.

. . . . . 2. "How comfortable?" Your mind is as carefree as
. . . . . a child's as you sleep deep and undisturbed on your
. . . . . Pullman bed. And in the morning you freshen up
. . . . . and dress at your leisure. You have complete toilet
. . . . . facilities, hot and cold running water, everything
. . . . . you need to prepare for a welcome Santa himself
. . . . . would envy.

3. "How dependable?" You get where you want to
be when you want to be there . . . when you go
Pullman. and you're the very spirit of Christmas
as you arrive in the center of town - rested, relaxed,
Rady for fun. (Christmas season or any season,)
Go Pullman - the safe, comfortable, dependable
Answer to all your travel questions.)

. . . . . It won't be Christmas without you. So plan
. . . . . now to go home for the holidays. And for railroad
. . . . . travel at its best, plan to go Pullman. To be sure
. . . . . of getting the reservations you want, see your
. . . . . ticket agent early.

. . . . . . . . . . . . Go Pullman . . . . . . . . . . . . .

COMFORTABLE, DEPENDABLE, AND-ABOVE ALL - SAFE!


Enjoy!

Tom

[Anonymous]

Dear train lovers:

one day before Christmas and raining in Nova Scotia. No skiing yet.

we have a 027 guage electric Blue Streak fright which is my son's purchased back in 1973.

It's in perfect shape but the transmitter is only humming. Train not moving. would this be a transmitter problem or  an engine. the tracks are a bit worse for wear and i was wondering can one still purchase track for the 027 guage.

Zoe

[siberianmo]

Special for Zoe in Nova Scotia!

Nice of you to make your first Post with us at the "Our" Place bar 'n grill.

Nova Scotia is one of my favorite places to visit - we have family in Bedford (Halifax).

Anyway, regarding your question, if you are comfortable with using the internet, you will find many sources for the O-27 track you mentioned. Recommend you do a search, using any of the leading "search engines" for Lionel track and you'll get all kinds of info . . . .

Hope this helps, and by the by, these Forums are chock full of different places to visit. Each Forum is tied to a magazine that Kalmbach publishes. For example, you visited us on the Classic Trains (General Discussion) Forum for the Classic Trains magazine. There is a Toy Trains Forum - where lots of people interested in Lionel trains gather to discuss this 'n that.

Happy Holidays!

Tom, Proprietor of "Our" Place

An Adult eating 'n drinking establishment

[siberianmo]

"Our" Place will be CLOSED Sunday and Christmas Day.

Here's the "coming attractions" for the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!

 

. . . Sunday, December 24^th thru 30^th: The Grinch (2000) Starring: Christine Baranski, Jim Carrey, David Costabile, and Michael Dahlen - and - White Christmas (1954) Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. SHORT: The Three Stooges - Three Missing Links (1938).

 

 

The Grinch (2000)

 

PLOT SUMMARY:

Based on the book by the famous Dr. Seuss. Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Who's, an almost mutated sort of munchkinlike people. All the Who's love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos which he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.

from: amazon.com

 

 

White Christmas (1954)


PLOT SUMMARY:

After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.

from: amazon.com

 

 

SHORT: Three Missing Links (1938)


PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly

The Stooges are janitors, cleaning up the office of movie producer B. O. Botswaddle. After botching up, they are fired. When Curly impersonates a chicken with its head cut off, Botswaddle hires him (and the other Stooges) for his new movie. The crew heads off to the jungle to film the picture, with Curly as a gorilla. A real gorilla appears and the Stooges escape. Curly eats love candy, which he bought from a local witch doctor, and chases the gorilla away.

from: threestooges.net


Enjoy!

Tom

[passengerfan]

Good Morning Tom and the rest of the gang. It's been awhile since i posted as have been busy with school and everything else and my home computer is still giving me problems but that will change Tuesday. The tech will be their in the afternoon and once again I will be around.

 Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and should be back on line before the New Year. Sure have missed everyone and the forum but as Governor Arnie says I'll be back.

TTFN Al

[trolleyboy]

Good morning Ruth , i think a number three and a jug 'o' coffee will be required this morning. One last "late" shift to contend with ( 4-12 ) tonight and well I'll leave it there we have already disscussed what's normal and not regarding myself latley Doug Thank's for looking into that trolleybus for me. We are just glad that it has found a new happy home , they are stricktly decoration at our museum as we have no plans to erect trolley bus overhead ( at least at this time ) Nice run down on the "state" of the art for the time Southern railcars interesting info , loved the Bubba Claus joke too gave me a nice grin anyway Eric you are correct , CPR and one of the local shortlines still operate at least some of the LE&N's territory, the rest has become walking and hiking trails. Interestingly the two bridges near brantfords downtown that te TH&B and the LE&N used to cross the grand river are still there and intact. just not attached to anything. One of their plate girders that crosses the grand between Brantford and Paris is part of the rail trail and has a well maintained wooden deck on it for cyclists and walkers. Not the same thing as big interurban cars or steeple cabs rumbling by at 50mph but at least it's preserved. I remeber one hike heather and I took along the ROW , we came up with several old glass insulators from te line that had been disscarded when the rail and catenery was taken down in the 60's, they are still satmped CPR and LE&N, amazing that we found them there 30 years after the fact. Tom yup simply amazing this this in that up n down software isn't it/ it's still telling me that there is an error on this page so likely this will all post out as jumbled together I can't even access the colours of font sizes so hopefully you have an upgraded pair of reading glasses for my "new" posts. At lest the things I dredge up from before have stated formatted. I agree with you about the mentality of today's travellers , why can't they instead of complaining about the service they got from Amtrak , just be happy they made it to their destinations Oh well to me train travel is still the most relaxing way to get from point A to B, time factor aside.I must say I did enjoy today's holiday Pullman ad as well , as alway's your the man Just a quick Merry Christmas to all of you, I will not be online for the holiday's either , too many other more important family things to do , ( not that you folks aren't like family ) . Rob

[trolleyboy]

Well my stars , a balst from the past and the west Good to see you Al ,nice to hear that you are still with us and may be on the verge of a comeback Tom Couldn't have picked three better movies for the holiday run at the emporium , perhaps a monday double feature of the Bells of St Mary's & Holiday Inn would round out the festive season. I know that both are favourites of Boris , who incidentally mentioned that the Grinch is a third cousin twice removed. I can see the family resemblance can't you Rob

[trolleyboy]

ENCORE ENCORE ENCORE ENCORE Well here is a final encore for the day from me, and a final post till after the Christmas break. At least some of the old comands still work on the forum, oh well hopefully they sort it out sooner as opposed to later. Again I hope everyone hays a wonderfull holiday. Rob

Wierd tales from The Trolley Barn # 5 ODD Trolley Stories Part # 1

Well It's been a while but here's a new ta,le from the trolley barn an odd story that really did happen, hope it causes the giggle that it caused me when I first read it.

  This incident happened on the NS&T very early on in it's existance.Trolleys have always had an affinity for peculiar accidnets, i.e. the Teddy Roosevelt Story .In 1906 a ridiculous mishap nearly bankrupted the fledgling NS&T.Snows too deep for ordinary plows and sweepers were repeatedly delaying the service on their intururban districts. There was no money for an expensive rotary plow that could easily cut through the drifts, but the roads superintendant wanted one  so badly that he dreamed of it.

   He begged the company officials long and hard, eventually they gave in and scrapped up the cash to purchase one.When the plow first arrived the super was like a tiny kid in the candy store. He even left strict instructions to call him at the first sign of heavy enough snow that the rotary would need to be used.The call came to his house at three in the morning a blizzard had deposited a huge amount of snow threatening to cancel the morning operations.The super hurried to the carbarn and road out like the triumphal calvalry at the controller of his shinny new roatary plow.The rotary munched its way through the drifts without halt all the way to the end of the line.There was an agitated message waiting for the super when he had reached the other end of the line however.The super had forgotten to adjust the discharge lever on the plow when he was clanking down the mainstreet of one of the towns.His wonderfull new plow had hurled wet snow aside with such vigor that it had smashed all the front windows of the houses along the main street, filling living rooms and parlours with wet melting snow !

enjoy Rob

 

[LoveDomes]

G'day Cap'n Tom & fellow travelers at the bar!

My oh my, Ruth you look rather festive all dressed up like one of Santa's "good little girls"! Good to see you 'n Leon behind the bar and making things ready for the "all staff & critters" Christmas Party in the banquet room, normally the Rat's Patoot Room! <grin>

I did't think I'd make it in today, then it dawned on me that we're CLOSED tomorrow and if I wanna get my submissions in, best to get right to it (roundtuit!).

Appreciate seeing Rob come through in spite of the 'puter nightmare going on with so many of us these days.

A comment from Al. Now the question IS - will he or won't he actually show up B4 years end That 'puter thing has been going on since mid-year, huh Well, it would be nice to have one of the members of the Legion of the Lost actually return to the fold! 

Nice - Tom - nice! Keep 'em coming!

Here it is, then I'm heading over to your "other thread" for a submission - then, gonezo 'til Tuesday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you who have stuck with us during times of difficulty, yours have been  most appreciated efforts! 5- Salutes to YOU!

We have new "regulars" these days, and some "irregular regulars" too! All of you who support "Our" Place as friends of Tom are friends of mine too! Best to you and yours - Pete - Eric - DL - BK - Mike - Rob - CM3 I'm NOT Shane! - Doug - Nick (wherever you are!) and young James!

 

 

Until the next time!

 

Lars

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

These special Posts will be provided thru Saturday to help keep us in the proper spirit!

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #7 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday travel retyped from a 1953 advertisement in my private collection:

Christmas Window on the Water Level Route

Watch New York Central trains roll past this time of year. You'll see Christmas windows by the hundred . . . bright with the most precious of all gifts. People!

Couples taking their children to see Grandmother (on money-saving Family Fares). Older folk, off to spend Christmas with married sons or daughters - enjoying ever minute of New York Central comfort.

Youngsters from school or college getting a first taste of holiday fare in the dining car. Fathers, away on business, taking it easy in the club car . . . sure that New York Central will get them home "weather or not."

Those are the year's favorite jobs for New York Central men and women. So whether you ride with us or meet the train . . . here's wishing you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Give Tickets - The Gift that Brings Them Home!
. . . Ask any Central ticket agent how easy it is to
. . . send rail and Pullman tickets as your gift
. . . to someone you want with you at holiday time.


. . . . . . . . . . New York Central . . . . . . . . . .

The Water Level-Route - You Can Sleep


Enjoy!

Tom

[siberianmo]

Christmas train travel NOSTALGIA

. . . . . . . . . . CHRISTMAS RR TRAVEL #8 of 8 . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . THE PULLMAN COMPANY . . . . . . . . . .

Here is an advertisement for Christmas holiday travel retyped from a 1948 advertisement in my private collection:

Happy holiday homecoming by Pullman!

This year let your trip itself be a holiday! make it A pleasure all the way - by Pullman. No driving tensions or weather worries . . . no time-wasting stops for meals or lodging. The miles slip by safely and swiftly. You and your family enjoy the peace, quiet and relaxation of your private Pullman "living room." This very holiday season, take the greatest trip on earth. Home for the holidays by Pullman!

A full night's rest! For dad, mother and every young member of the family - sleep just comes naturally in soft, king-sized Pullman beds. Next morning everyone's fresh and rested . . . ready for a busy day.

Your local Ticket Agent will help: 1. Provide information on routes and fares. 2. Help you plan stopovers. 3. Furnish rail and Pullman tickets. 4 Reserve a "rent-a-car" at your destination.

. . . . . . . . . . YOU'RE SAFE AND SURE WHEN YOU TRAVEL BY . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . PULLMAN. . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . the travel service of comfort, privacy and sleep! . . . . .


That's it for this day - hope you enjoyed these advertisements from Christmas seasons past. It was my pleasure to present them to you!


Tom

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Just a few words, before I join the gang in the "Banquet Centre" - aka: Rat's Patoot Room! - for the staff 'n critters Christmas Bash!

Wudja believe it I didn't see Rob's Posts or the one from Lars 'til I logged back on just to check . . . What a crazy "thing" this Forum has turned into.

Nice 'stuff' today from Rob 'n Lars, love the ENCORES! and of course those great book and video covers!!

Even a "peek in" from 20 Fingers Al himself. I'll believe it when I see it - been there, done that before, eh But seriously folks <drum roll> would be nice to have Al rejoin us. It's gonna take a heap of reading to play catch-up; we've had significant CHANGES to the way things are 'round here - the customers, just being one. No more DATA DUMPS - sorry! <grin>

Just want to extend my MERRY CHRISTMAS wishes to all of you who have been so supportive since we resumed our activites this summer. You know who you are and so do I! <grin> As Lars so aptly put it, yours have been the most appreciated of all the efforts! My 5- Salute is added to the mix -

See y'all on Tuesday and ENJOY these times with the ones who care about you! I'm planning to.

Tom

[EricX2000]

Good morning Captain Tom and all present and Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve, the tavern is closed and all I will do is to push this post under the door. No more work day this year! Just relax and wait for Santa..., no Doug had bad news. It is not Santa who is coming, it is Bubba Claus. 

Doug –  Thank you for the continuing story about Southern Railway and their freight cars. Interesting info!
I guess it was DL who asked about “LCL”.

Hmm, I don’t know if I should look forward to Bubba Claus’ visit tonight? I think I’ll send an email to Santa Claus and ask him if he can't make down here to Phoenix.

Tom –  The last Amtrak train left Phoenix in June 1996. More than ten years ago.

All Swedish rolls are gone! Brought them to the office Friday and they liked them. I have to bake more today.

I like the Pullman ad! I have been traveling in a few of their sleepers and that was nice! All those ads reminds me of days long gone, when a lot of people actually traveled by train! They still do in Europe but not here.

Good movies for this week! But my favorite Christmas movie is “A Christmas Story”!

Al –  Glad to hear from you sir!!! Hope you will be back soon!

Rob –  Railroad stuff has a long life span! I have found dumped railroad signals from the 1920’s along the railroad in the old country. All they needed was some cleaning and paint!

I feel sorry for that NS&T’s supervisor!<grin> What a feeling to hear about all broken windows.

Lars –  I am glad I found this tavern!!! More or less by accident.

 

Eric 

[Anonymous]

Good morning Tom and gents! In keeping with posted forum policies, best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, yet with respect for the religious persuasions of others or their choice not to practice religion at all;

and

a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year, 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to our society have helped make America great, without regard to the race, creed, color, religious or sexual preference of the wishes.

(This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, it implies no promise by the wishor to actually attempt to implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others.)

[Anonymous]

Good morning Tom and friends. I'll have a light breakfast if you please. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. I managed to score a Craftsman toolcart and a ratcheting screwdriver from Snap-On,  a few train-related ornaments and a reasonably undamaged wallet, so that's doing pretty good for me. Got started on assembling a workshop area downstairs, and now it's time to attack moving boxes and establish permanent storage for items worthy of keeping. I need to be ruthless in this area, as it's all too easy for me to be a pack-rat and end up with stuff that gets saved forever but never used. Here's a bit of light reading on SR car types:

Many food products do not need refrigeration or heating while in transit but do require protection from freezing or excessive heat. To keep such food products from getting too hot or too cold en route, Southern has the DFB insulated box car that is also destined for pallet-type loading with mechanized handling equipment. The car is 50 feet 1 inch long inside, 9 feet 3 inches wide and 9 feet 10 inches high. Twelve-foot doors make for easy maneuvering with fork-lift trucks. The "DF" in the "DFB" means "damage free." The car is equipped with the freight-protecting Super-Cushion and with interior fittings to help hold the load in place and give freight a safe ride. These include load dividers that can be fastened across the car and side fillers to adjust the interior width so that the load is snugly in place.

Southern's Super-Cushion underframe car really does a job for shippers and the consuming public. And it's doing a fine job, too, for the Southern Railway in regaining traffic that had been lost to other forms of transportation because crating and packaging costs and the cost of bracing loads in railroad freight cars were too high for shippers to bear. Fragile freight just didn't get a safe damage-free ride in ordinary railroad cars. Now it does. Southern Railway initiated the research that led to the development of the hydraulic-cushioning devices such as the ones which protect freight in this Super-Cushioned car. A sliding center sill with 30 inches of cushioning soaks jolts and jars before they can reach the freight inside. Sensitive electric meters, delicate electronic equipment, easily damaged rolls of newsprint, bottled goods and many other things now ride safely free of damage in the Super-Cushioned car. Of all-steel, all-welded construction, the car has 10-foot wide aluminum doors and nailable steel floors to make fork-lift loading easy. It is rated for more than a 70-ton load. Its interior dimensions are standard for a box car of its size - 50 feet 6 inches long, 9 feet 6 inches wide, 10 feet 6 inches high. Stabilized trucks with long-travel springs and roller bearings contribute further to smooth, safe rides for freight and to its damage-free delivery. Southern is interested in applying all technological improvements to regaining traffic through providing better service and reducing overall transportation costs to the public.

Southern Railway's cars often have special and unusual design features that are developed to give shippers what they need and what they want for lowering transportation costs. Take this 53-foot flat car, for example, equipped with Super-Cushion. Adjustable hoods at the end of the car give all-weather protection to coils of tin plate while they are in transit from steel mills to can manufacturing plants in the South. Ease in loading and needed protection from weather and transit damage are the principal features of  this 100-ton capacity car. It is designed to carry coils of tin plate which weigh about 20,000 pounds and these can be quickly loaded and unloaded with either fork-lift truck or an overhead crane. Here again a special car design saves money in loading and unloading and prevents damage.

Q: What do they call Santa's helpers?
A: Subordinate Clauses

Q: What do you call Santa Clause after he's fallen into a fireplace?
A: Krisp Kringle

Q: Who sings "Love Me Tender," and makes Christmas toys?
A: Santa's little Elvis

Q: Which of Santa's reindeers needs to mind his manners the most?
A: "Rude"olph

Q: What did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed?
A: A cookie sheet

Q: What reindeer has the cleanest antlers?
A: Comet

Q: What is the cow's holiday greeting?
A: Mooooory Christmas

Q: What does Santa like to eat?
A: A jolly roll

Q: Where do Santa's reindeers like to stop for lunch?
A: Deery Queen

Q: If athletes get athlete's foot, what do astronauts get?
A: Missile toe

Q: How does Santa Claus take pictures?
A: With his North Pole-aroid.

Q: What do you call the fear of getting stuck while sliding down a chimney?
A: Santa Claus-trophobia

[siberianmo]

 

G'day Gents!

Hope you all enjoyed a very Merry Christmas - we did! Would've been a bit better had some snow found its way to us, however, the temps were in the chill and the feel was definitely appropriate for the holiday.

 

Time to draw a hot cuppa Joe, a couple of pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery and perhaps a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board!

 

Here we are at the "day after," or Boxing Day in the UK and Canada. What's THAT, you ask Check out this URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day

 

Many thanx to Eric for that fine: 2:25 AM Christmas Eve Post along with perhaps one of the finest Pix for the season seen ‘round here in a long time. Do you mind if we "adopt"it for future display I'd like to add it to the archives . . . well done!

 

Noted that Doug simply couldn't stay off line for two days as he provided one of his "classic" bits of humor at 5:19 AM yesterday, directed at the "politically correct" crowd . . .

Nice start to the day from Doug today at 5:27 AM - and a special THANX for dropping off a Post over on "my other Thread"

So, we'll just perk along today and through the week taking "what we gets" and hoping for the best.

10,000^th Post CONTEST entries (in order of submission):

Feb 14^th - BK

Feb 15^th - Lars

Mar 12^th - Pete

Jan 1^st - James

Jan 28^th - Eric

Jan 18^th - DL

Feb 8^th - Doug

Jan 31^st - Rob

Mar 15^th - CM3

CONTEST closed on Dec 22^nd.

Reminder: Ruth opens up at 9 AM until Leon the night man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.

Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" EGG NOG they can handle!

Tom