G'day Captain Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth, a Schaefer if you please and slide those snacks down my way, wudja
Mets won today, after getting drubbed by the Dodgers yesterday. No matter - I think they are 'in' and let the playoffs begin!
Never have seen so many JOs in all my experiences on the forums since Kalmbach redesigned them. Maybe it's just my imagination - but just take a look at the absolute "dribble" being posted on "our" forum - hopefully none of our crew will "feed the animals." THAT would be most distressing.
Good to see my "bookend" and Left Coast Dave swing by . . . rather quiet for our Encore! Saturday - but what-the-heck - it IS the weekend and there ARE other things to do, huh Great name - Frostbite!
My 2nd ENCORE for this day . . .
Budd Company
(first posted on page 296)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry. The company is headquartered in Troy, Michigan. It was founded in 1912 by Edward G. Budd. Edward Budd's fame came from his invention of the 'shotweld' technique for joining pieces of stainless steel without damaging the anti-corrosion properties of the stainless steel. A railroad legend The first Budd passenger railcar, the Lafayette, 1932From the 1930s until 1989 The Budd Company was also a leading manufacturer of stainless steel streamlined passenger rolling stock for a number of railroads. After briefly dabbling with French Micheline rubber-tyred technology, they built the Pioneer Zephyr for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1934, and hundreds of streamlined lightweight stainless steel passenger cars for new trains in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1950s Budd built a set of two-story or high-level cars for the Santa Fe's El Capitan and Super Chief passenger trains, which became the prototypes for the Amtrak Superliner cars of the 1980s. Budd also built two-story gallery passenger cars for Chicago-area commuter service on the Milwaukee Road, Burlington Route, and Rock Island lines duing the 1960s and 1970s; most of these cars are still in service on today's Metra routes. Stainless steel Budd cars originally built for the Canadian Pacific Railway's 1955 train The Canadian are still in service with Via Rail Canada. Train in one car In 1949, Budd introduced the Rail Diesel Car or RDC, a stainless steel self-propelled 'train in one car' which prolonged rail service on many lightly populated railway lines, but also provided a flexible, air conditioned car for suburban commuter service. More than 300 RDCs were built. Some RDCs are still in service in Canada, the USA and Australia. One example is OnTrack in Syracuse, New York. In the 1960's, Budd built the Pioneer III electric m.u. coach for intercity travel. Six were built and were purchased by the former Pennsylvania Railroad, but in 1966, these Pioneer III cars, later called "Silverliner I" cars, were replaced with the "Silverliner II" cars, which used the Pioneer III body, but with much improvements, for Philadelphia-area commuter rail service on both the PRR and Reading Company lines. Budd was also contracted for building the original Metroliner m.u. coaches for Washington-New York City service on the Northeast Corridor, but has been replaced with more traditional locomotive-hauled systems. The Silverliner II cars, still in service (but is slated to be replaced with newer "Silverliner V" cars), has a top speed of 100 m.p.h., while the old Metroliner m.u. cars traveled at speeds of 125 m.p.h., although they were slated for 150 m.p.h. service--a feat now possible with the new Acela trainset Almond Joys In 1960. Budd manufactured the first stainless steel production subway cars for Philadelphia's Market-Frankford Line. 270 cars (nicknamed the Almond Joys for the 4 ventilators on top of the roof of each car) were jointly owned by the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Transportation Company (now SEPTA). 46 single units and 112 married pairs (the pairs were of "mixed" marriage because the odd-numbered car came with General Electric motors and equipment was permanently coupled to the even-numbered car, which had Westinghouse motors and equipment). These cars were replaced with more modern air-conditioned units, although some cars were retrucked (the Market-Frankford line is a broad-gauge line) and used on the Norristown High Speed Line (a standard railroad gague line) until they were replaced in the mid-1990's. Automobile innovations In 1966, Budd designed and manufactured a front disc brake system for Chrysler and Imperial automobiles, used for the 1967 and 1968 model years. Budd also built two series of "L" cars for the Chicago Transit Authority, the 2200s (1969–1970) and 2600s (1981–1987). The New York City Subway R32 (1964-1965), Long Island Rail Road/Metro-North Railroad M-1 (1968–1973/M2 (1973-1976)/M3 (1984-1986), NJ Transit Arrow III (1978), Baltimore Metro Subway and Miami Metrorail cars (1983) were also built by Budd. All of Amtrak's 492 Amfleet and 150 Amfleet II cars were built by Budd in 1977 and 1980/1981. The Amfleet body was recycled for usage in the SPV2000, a modernized RDC which was very problematic, saw only three buyers (Amtrak, Metro-North, and ConnDOT), and saw very premature retirements. The fallout from the SPV2000 furthered the decline of the company. In the early 1980s, Budd reorganized its rail operations under the name Transit America, this name appearing on the builderplates of the Baltimore/Miami cars and Chicago's later 2600s (but not the LIRR/Metro-North M3s). The new name did not save the company, as in 1987 Budd ended all railcar production and sold its rail designs to Bombardier. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A round for the house, Ruth and I'll take a cold, frosty mug of Keiths Pale Ale - thank you! Until the next time!
Lars
G'day Gents!
Okay, here's the revised "Name the Penguin Contest" submissions:
Pengie (from Lars)
Chester (from Nick)
Willie (from Rob)
Phil (from BK 'n Lydia)
Pudgie (from Doug)
Percy or Chilly (from Pete)
Frostbite (from Dave)
(name will be announced on Monday morning!)
Today is the LAST day for suggested names - Nice going guyz!
Thanx in large measure to Lars & BK, we are continuing along with the idea of ENCORE! Saturday here at the Tavern by the Tracks. Love those RDCs and the Budd Company! Thanx to the both of you!
With the absence of our "Ontario Connection" my guess is we'll be a bit shy on the Pix side come tomorrow - however, it most times is a barndad Doug "thing!"
So, what's going on out there on the left coast that they have you under some kind of lock 'n key arrangement Oh yeah, I know, if you let us knows, you'll have to do us in - shudda first thought of that, eh <grin> Good to see ya Dave - was beginning to think this would be a "Daveless" week at the bar. Just made it "in" and hope you get a chance to review what you've missed. Some mighty fine Posts, Pix and RR information along the right of way. "Frostbite" is a great suggestion for our Penguin's name - glad you got it "in" before "closing."
Another reminder is in order for those who participate in our activities at the bar - Tuesday is "Theme for the Day" with the Kansas City Southern (KCS) as the "theme" railroad. I have found some interesting material - that is "free" to the user - but not quite as much out there as perhaps we'd all like.
Should any of you be unable to find something to your liking - go ahead with a "supplemental" RR as suggested by Manager Lars the other day. Just as long as we get participation - that's the idea!
Thanx for the E-mails on the names for the Penguin Contest - and no, I cannot accept checks, Pay Pal or anything else bordering on bribery!
Okay - 'nuf of these ramblilngs - I'm off to enjoy the remainder of the day and hope you are doing the same!
Tom
Good Morning Captain Tom and all assembled!
A rather quiet start to the weekend, which is not all so bad. I see Sir Doug has deposited his reading assignments for us, as noted by Lars, and Tom has dutifully provided us with an appropriate beginning for this Encore Saturday!
Ruth, it is just a tad later than 11 AM here in the Canadian Rockies, so a bit of brunch would be fine - but first we shall partake in the treats over in the Mentor Village Bakery case! Lydia cannot keep her eyes away from those decadent delights, whereas I cannot keep my eyes away from her! <grin> Ah, I note that I have said the correct thing this morning!
A round for the patrons and by all means, keep the change!
I too received an email from Sir Rob, but of course I would - as it was indeed addressed to the Three Horsemen! Weddings and funerals - interesting how Lars put those two on the same plane - also do very little for me. Actually, I have never been much on the social gatherings "expected" of us all, especially when and where family matters enter into it. However, now that I am into my 2nd life - all of that is by the boards - over the dam - and so forth. You WILL attend and you WILL enjoy youself! All that is missing are the hobnail boots and . . . . <grin>
Wonder if anyone has noticed, but Sir Rob selected a railway for the Tuesday "Theme of the Day" and in all liklihood will miss it! Surely a most tweetable offense, I should think! What say you, Sir Proprietor Also, there is a violation to be added: Not being present at the bar on one's Natal Day! Another tweetable offense (offence), eh
Lydia has found a posting of mine on the same page (298) that Lars retrieved his Encore from - so without further adieu - here it is:
Here are a couple of photos of that NYC Jet Powered RDC mentioned in the Wikipedia article posted by Lars: NYC #M497 Jet Powered (source to credit: unknown) NYC #M497 Jet Powered (source to credit: unknown) . . . And a fine looking BC Rail RDC . . . . BC Rail RDC #BC-11 (source to credit: unknown) A URL of interest for the NYC Jet RDC: http://www.trainsmag.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/853zeggx.asp
Ah, I see Sir Dave from the left coast has made an appearance. In lock down, eh Why not, seems rather appropriate for whatever it is you do for a living! <smile> "Frostbite" - now that is a good selection for the Penguin. Wish I could chat a bit longer - but I too am on a short string . . .
Enjoy the weekend Captain Tom and gentlement - hope to be with you all soon.
BK in Alberta, Canada's beautiful high mountain country!
Back again - for Encore! Saturday . . . this material was first posted on page 296.
Budd Rail Diesel Car CAVEAT: This material has been reproduced with “blanket” permission from Wikipedia sources at: www.wikipedia.com. Budd RDC-1 #407 of the Cape May Seashore Lines (GNU Free Documentation). The Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic rail passenger car. During the period of 1949–1956, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These cars were primarily adopted for passenger service in rural areas with low traffic density or in short-haul commuter service, and were less expensive to operate in this context than a traditional locomotive-drawn train. The cars could be used singly or several coupled together in trainsets and controlled from the cab of the front unit. The Boston and Maine Railroad owned by far the largest number of these units, but they were also very popular with Canadian railways such as the Canadian Pacific Railway (where they were known as Dayliners), the Canadian National Railway, and the former BC Rail. VIA Rail still uses RDCs for scheduled services on Vancouver Island and in Northern Ontario, and the planned Blue22 service connecting Toronto to its airport will use refurbished RDCs as well. Since 1994 three RDCs are being used for the OnTrack commuter rail line in Syracuse, New York. As well, the Alaska Railroad possesses at least two RDCs. They are typically coupled together and used for the railroad's Hurricane Turn service and the annual Fair Train. The Hurricane Turn is the last remaining flag stop service in the U.S. and is the only transportation to many summer (and year-round) cabins on a stretch of track between Talkeetna and Hurricane Gulch. (The Parks Highway, the nearest road, is several miles to the west on the other side of a mountain ridge.) The annual Fair Train takes fairgoers from Anchorage to the Palmer stop next to the fairgrounds. The basic car was adapted from a standard 85 ft (26 m) coach. They were powered by two Detroit Diesel (then a division of General Motors) diesel bus engines, each of which drives an axle through a hydraulic torque converter, a technology adapted from military tanks of World War II. RDC trains were an early example of self-contained diesel multiple units, an arrangement now in common use by railways all over the world. Variants An RDC train operated by the former BC Rail. (www.trainweb.com photo) Budd manufactured five basic variants of the RDC: • The RDC-1 — an 85 ft (26 m) all-passenger coach seating 88 passengers. • The RDC-2 — an 85 ft (26 m) Railway Post Office and passenger coach configuration seating 71 passengers. • The RDC-3 — an 85 ft (26 m) variant with a Railway Post Office, a baggage compartment and 44 passenger seats. • The RDC-4 — a 65 ft (20 m) variant with only the Railway Post Office and baggage area. • The RDC-5 (also known as the RDC-9) — an 85 ft (26 m) passenger coach seating 82, with no independent control cab. The RDC-1 was powered by two 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel engines, each of 275 hp (205 kW). In 1978, Budd offered a new RDC model, called the SPV-2000 (self-propelled vehicle), but only 24 of them were sold, as they proved unreliable and did not gain marketplace acceptance. The few remaining in service have long been converted to unpowered, locomotive-drawn coaches. Unusual modifications In an experiment toward high speed rail, the New York Central (NYC) fitted a pair of jet engines atop one of their RDCs and added a shovelnose front to its cab. This RDC, which NYC had numbered M497, set the United States speed record in 1966 when it traveled at just short of 184 mph (296 km/h) between Butler, Indiana, and Stryker, Ohio. Several RDC's were built and exported to Australia, to operate with Commonwealth Railways, These cars operated on the standard gauge, running between Port Pirie and various locations, including Whyalla, Port Augusta and Broken Hill. A variant was built by Commonwealth Engineering for the NSW Government Railways, consisting of five carriages. These cars included the only non-powered version of these carriages. These cars operated the South Coast Daylight Express between Sydney and Nowra References • Scheurle, Bob, New York Central RDC3 #M497. Retrieved March 14, 2005. • Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists, New York: Wayner Publications. CAVEAT: This material has been reproduced with “blanket” permission from Wikipedia sources at: www.wikipedia.com. Until the next time!
G'day Captain Tom and fellow traveles at the bar!
Greetings to those of you who give a Rat's Patoot about this place and those within it! Ruth, serve 'em up something suitable for a Saturday morning - something to make their innards feel as warm as the way you look! One for me too . . .
I see that Doug has made an evening and morning "deposit" of reading material for us - hopefully his 'quiz' will be a hulluva lot more forgiving than that last doozy!
Received an e-mail from Rob - it was sent to the "Three Horsemen" - he'll not be gracing our establishment until very late on Tuesday, but most probably on Wednesday. Another long weekend for our Canadian friend - this one is a wedding and all that goes with it. Anyway, some inquiring minds may have wanted to know . . . . Hope he catches all of the B'day Wishes posted yesterday when he returns, he is using a rather archaic 'puter from what I've been told. I'll have to check the "slush fund," perhaps we have some bucks to send him to purchase a new one . . .
Nice start for Encore! Saturday, Captain Tom - the EuroStar is indeed "one of those trains" I'd love to experience. Once in my life it was "So many gals, so little time!" Now it's "Too many trains, not enough time!" [swg[
A brief - very brief - visit from Nick in West Wales - a dinner party where the Guests wash the dishes Now that's surely a different twist to it. But yes - one must be very careful with the good China when in the hands of the tipsy.
Don't know for sure what the remainder of this weekend holds for me - there's a "situation" developing that just may keep me away for a bit. However, whether we have a crowd at the bar or just one or two - we do know that when leisure time beckons - "Our" Place is the place to be!
My Encore! will follow shorty.
ENCORE! Saturday - ENCORE! Saturday
RAILWAYS of EUROPE #2 –
Eurostar - (London – Paris – Brussels)
first Posted on page 248Eurostar Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. Eurostar Eurostar at Vauxhall (GNU Free Documentation) Franchise:: Eurostar Main Route(s):: London-Lille-Brussels, London-Paris Other Route(s):: Lille-Disneyland Paris-Avignon, Lille-Bourg-St-Maurice Fleet size:: 27 Stations: 11 Parent company: Eurostar Group Website: www.eurostar.com This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. For Italian trains called Eurostar, see Eurostar Italia. Eurostar is a train service that connects London with Paris and Brussels. Trains cross the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel. The French and Belgian sections of the route use the same high-speed rail lines as the TGV and Thalys, and in England a new line is being built to the same standard. This is a two-phase project known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project (CTRL). The first revenue-earning Eurostar trains ran in November 1994. Eurostar has established a dominant share of the market on the routes it serves - 68% for London-Paris and 63% for London-Brussels, as of November 2004. The company points out that these passenger figures represent a saving of 393,000 carbon dioxide-producing short-haul flights. The journey time from London to Paris is currently 2 hours 35 minutes; London to Brussels is 2 hours 20 minutes. These times will be cut by 20 minutes in 2007 when the construction of the second phase of CTRL is completed, bringing the British portion of the route up to the same standards as the French and Belgian sections. Completion of the CTRL will also allow a significant increase in the number of Eurostar trains serving London. After phase two is completed, up to 8 trains per hour in each direction could travel the route from London to the continent, as timetabling would be unaffected by peak hour restrictions at London Waterloo and conflicts between Waterloo and Fawkham Junction. In addition to the three destination cities, some Eurostar services currently stop en route at Ashford in Kent and at Calais Frethun and Lille in northern France. From 2007 all Eurostar trains will be routed through the CTRL to a new London terminus at St Pancras. The company had intended to retain some services to the existing Waterloo terminal, but this was ruled out on cost grounds. Some trains will additionally serve new stations at Ebbsfleet near Dartford in north-west Kent and Stratford International station in east London (not to be confused with Stratford station, or Stratford Regional station as it will be called when Stratford International station is opened) Organisation Eurostar services are now managed under a unified management, the Eurostar Group. In each country a member company undertakes Eurostar operation: • Belgium — NMBS/SNCB • France — SNCF • United Kingdom — Eurostar (U.K.) Ltd. or (EUKL) o EUKL managed (under contract) by InterCapital and Regional Rail (ICRR), a consortium of: #61607; National Express Group (40%), #61607; SNCF (35%) #61607; NMBS/SNCB (15%) #61607; British Airways (10%). A Eurostar on the CTRL near Ashford (Wikimedia Commons) Additional information • The trains themselves are 400 metres long, weigh 800 tonnes and carry 750 passengers in 18 carriages (14 carriages for the 7 UK regional sets). In case of an incident in the Channel Tunnel the trains can be divided in two in order to evacuate the passengers in the unaffected carriages. • In Britain the trains are classified as British Rail Class 373 units, and they were constructed by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) at its La Rochelle (France), Belfort (France) and Washwood Heath (England) sites. They can run on third rail and various catenary voltages, achieving a maximum in-service speed of 300 km/h when collecting current from a 25 kV overhead catenary. They are essentially modified TGV sets, and some Eurostar trains not needed for Channel runs are now used in regular TGV service by the French national railway. In July 2003 a Eurostar train set a new UK rail speed record of 334.7 km/h (208.0 mph) during safety testing on the first section of the CTRL. This section opened for commercial services in September 2003 and has helped increase passenger numbers by as much as 20%, as well as shortening journey times by 20 minutes. • The 27 normal Eurostar-sets are being refurbished with a new interior, designed by Philippe Starck, from September 2004 on. The grey-yellow look (in Standard class) and the grey-red look (In First/Premium First) has been replaced with a more grey-brown look in Standard, and a grey-burnt orange in First class. The Premium First class will be removed from sale in September 2005 as the company looks to simplify its fare structure. • Eurostar also run services to Disneyland Paris, to Avignon in summer, and - in the skiing season - to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aime-la-Plagne and Moutiers in the French Alps. It was originally intended to run "regional Eurostars", direct services to Paris and Brussels from places in the United Kingdom other than London. This proved not to be financially viable, but some of the shorter Eurostar trains intended for those services are now operated by GNER (the Great North Eastern Railway) entirely within the UK, on the East Coast Main Line from London's King's Cross railway station to Leeds. 'Nightstar' sleeper trains constructed for the international service were also never used, and the trains were sold to VIA Rail in Canada, which has branded them as Renaissance Cars. • Eurotunnel, the company that built and runs the Channel Tunnel, is a completely separate entity from Eurostar. Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****Enjoy! Tom Did you miss the first in the series, British Rail Click on the URL: http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/ShowPost.aspx?PageIndex=247&PostID=901081
Good morning Tom and all. I'll have a light breakfast if you please, and will be following Tom's advice in using some of the material I started on another thread for ENCORES. But first .. what a fantastic collection of photos from Mike. Trains and planes .. can't go wrong with that. Learned a few things too. Didn't know that carrier pigeons were released from planes. Also didn't know about U.S. airmen joining the Canadian Eagle Squad. Thanks Mike!
By 1887, the facilities of a luxury train had been still further extended. Observation cars, for instance, were coming into vogue and the rear half of the Pennsylvania Limited’s last vehicle was a comfortable saloon with 5 ft-deep plate-glass windows looking out over a verandah with elegant wrought nickel and brass guard-rails. Next to the saloon was a writing room, overhung by palms spreading from pretty jardinières and furnished with secretaire and bookcase; here a skilled stenographer was on call to take and type passengers’ correspondence. The rest of the car was given over to private staterooms, each with its own lavatory, and decorated either in Oriental or Louis XVI style, with varying finishes in Circassian walnut, Tabasco mahogany, English oak, vermillion wood, rosewood or Santiago mahogany.
Next up from the rear of the train came the Pullman sleepers, featuring both standard open-section areas and private drawing rooms with accommodation for two or five. One of the cars even boasted an incredibly ornate bridal suite with white woodwork, leaded glass, extravagant gilt ornamentation and metalwork, and lush velvet drapery. There was nothing strictly functional about the sleeper lavatories either: you stood on a ceramic tiled floor, studied yourself in beveled mirrors and rested between operations on a padded wicker chair to admire polished woodwork that was as finely executed as any in the living accommodation.
Next came the diner, with elegant chairs backed and seated in embossed leather, overhung with more potted greenery and serving cuisine to challenge the finest of Chicago and New York hotels.
The 1905 Oriental Limited’s Pullman diner was supposedly styled to represent an English Inn interior with ceiling beams and leather-backed chairs. (Courtesy Arthur Dubin collection)
And finally a remarkable multi-purpose car, mostly occupied by the men’s saloon. To quote a contemporary description, “it provides a buffet and all the luxury of an elegant, up-to-date club. There are daily papers, magazines and books on the tables, and facilities are on hand for those who care to play cards, chess or other games. Stock Exchange quotations are, with other items of commercial and general news, regularly supplied to the train at its stopping places. Passengers further have the advantage of a hair-dressing saloon, and there are bathrooms for ladies and gentlemen, equipped with the most approved accessories.” And finally, for this was still something of a novelty to be stressed in promotion: “The train was lighted by electricity, the current being obtained from a dynamo supplying the 500 lamps comprised in the installation; but in order to guard against the possibility of a breakdown, Pintsch’s gas fittings can at a moment’s notice be brought to use in any of the compartments. Electric reading lamps are available in the library car and in the observation car, and every section of the drawing room sleeping cars contain two such lamps, which may be used by passengers who desire to read in their berths.” The Pennsylvania’s publicity department had a right to proclaim the “Limited” to be “the newest and most complete Railway Train of this progressive age.”
Many moguls of industry sought something even more palatial than the private rooms of a train like the “Pennsylvania Limited.” The commercially eager Mr. Pullman was only too happy to build and sell the tycoons their own private cars, which they would pay to have attached to ordinary service trains, or in some cases would have hauled free, so humbly grateful were the railroads for such august patronage.. As the luxury train acquired fresh refinements, so – on an even grander scale – did these so-called business cars. The most splendid of them ran to marble baths, hidden safes, Venetian mirrors, and open fireplace burning balsam logs (this was John Pierpont Morgan’s), and even an English butler to supervise the car’s private cellar and the Lucullan output if its kitchen. By the 1920s some magnates were paying as much as a quarter of a million dollars for a single vehicle.
The railroad baron Jay Gould on occasion ran his own complete train of four business cars, the staff of which included a doctor to tend Gould’s fragile digestion, plus a special baggage car at the head-end that served as a byre for the milch cow which was taken on the trip to ensure a flow of milk with butterfat constituency exactly conforming to the great man’s dietary regime. A French nobleman, Count Boni de Castellane, who was invited aboard Gould’s train when he was courting the banker’s daughter, recorded in his diary that full evening dress was de rigueur at dinner and that guests’ private rooms teemed with butlers and valets, footmen, ladies’ maids and grooms of the chambers. Of another eminent financier’s wife it was said she had assumed a journalist that “The only thing that’s economical about our car is the solid gold plumbing. It saves polishing, you know.
In terms of housekeeping the Pullman operation outstripped that of any chain hotelier for scale. At the peak of the company’s business in the 1930s and 1940s its stock of sheets and towels, for instance, was between 3 ½ and 4 million in each case. The activity of its ten company-owned laundries was frequently worth more than three million dollars a year. It refused to rely on outside suppliers for furniture and fittings, and maintained its own workshops to turn out everything from a richly upholstered chair to a toilet seat. The company had its own printing plant, too, from which issued a torrent, not only of working documents and publicity material, but of minutely detailed rulebooks and instruction manuals for Pullman staff.
Afternoon tea service in the ladies’ lounge of Chicago & Alton’s “Alton Limited.” Although not seen in this particular picture, the waitresses were arrayed in full Japanese rig (Courtesy Arthur Dubin collection)
From the start Pullman determined to make the personal service in his cars a byword. Nothing, it was said, could happen in a Pullman car that was not covered by an instruction in the voluminous Pullman rulebooks, which dealt meticulously with every conceivable aspect of hospitality and service to the passenger, whether it be from conductor, porter, maid, barber or bus boy. And the tradition was jealously upheld by the car staff, to the extent that they were perennially the prime quarry for staff head-hunters from the White House as well as upper crust hotels and clubs. The Pullman porter – generally Negro, from the date the first black porter was recruited in 1870 – was justifiably the American symbol of service to the customer for decades. As a mark of Pullman’s infinite care for detail of service, a full quotation of the Pullman service manual’s elaborate step-by-step primer on the basic art of filling an order for a beer is an apt crown to this chapter:
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house.
Read Rob's posts for months and learn a lot. Some about trolleys and trains and planes, but mainly that it's possible to be friendly, cheerful, hard-working, dedicated, courteous, reliable, and never without a sense of humor. It beats me how to do that, but I've learned from Rob that it's possible.
God bless our friend as he becomes old enough to sing Frank Sinatra tunes. Okay, maybe doo-be-doo-be dubious, but when I was 35 it was a very good year.
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Mike
Evening gents,round for all,beers all night for the birthday boy- Sir bar chandler ROB-may you enjoy very many more.
Gotta run,house full of inebriated dinner guests-currently trying to stop them washing the dishes (best china & booze not a good mix...........)
Hopefully catch up tomorrow
TTFN,nick
Good evening Tom and friends, and a big to man-of-the-hour Rob! Looks like most people except for the birthday boy have made it in today. Tom provided a slick Lethbridge Viaduct post for us today. Cm3 popped in, BK provided some pix for Rob, and Lars put some CP pix for Rob too. But what's this with Peter's Scotland trip? Need anyone to tote your barge? Post your bail?
Here's my part II of the Chicago-New York Air Line
750 Miles in Ten Hours! by Blake A. Mapledoram, Dec 1956 RR Magazine
Each of the Air Line’s first two coaches, 101 and 102, painted green, boasted four 75-hp. Westinghouse motors, control equipment, air brakes, and trolley pole.
Perhaps the most colorful character in the whole Air Line melodrama was Colonel U.P. Hord. With a broad-rimmed hat, a tight-waisted coat, an Ascot tie, and an impeccable white vest spanned by massive gold watch chain, the Colonel cut an aristocratic figure. His was the task of acquiring for the railroad as much right-of-way as possible for as little cash as necessary. This called for diplomacy.
Probably no right-of-way agent ever undertook a more difficult task, for in the usual process of laying out a railroad, alternate routes are traced on the map and each property-holder is cleverly lead into low-bidding against his neighbor in the effort to induce the railroad to select the line through his property. The result is that the railroad benefits from the downward sliding property prices. But not so with the Air Line venture. This was a road with a definitely pre-established course, advertised to be built in a straight line.
But Colonel Hord’s affable and winning personality, his convincing oratory and his affluent glow, impressed the owners of farm land to such an extent that many of them surrendered options on their property in exchange for Air Line stock.
At the time of ground-breaking, the stock was selling for about $40 a share, with a “real value” of $100, which the Air Line guaranteed would e paid to any stockholder who wanted his money as soon as the line reached Gary, Ind. In another two months it sold at $51.
By the fall of 1907 our equipment consisted of 60 mule teams purchased in St. Louis for $22,000 (later sold for $11,000), 42 wheelers, three locomotives with flatcars and self-dumping dirt cars, a Vulcan 2 ½-yard shovel, a steam grader, a warehouse with $10,000 worth of supplies, a powerhouse, a three-car barn complete, and two $11,000 electric passenger cars, built at Niles, Ohio, to carry stockholders over the line free.
The passenger cars, delivered in May, 1907, were big, smart-looking, green, interurban types built to order by the Niles Car Works. They were 50-foot combination baggage-passenger coaches, with steam-type roofs, sturdy wooden pilots, and windows grouped in pairs with stained-glass arches above. Each was equipped with four 75-hp Westinghouse motors and control equipment, air brakes, and trolley poles.
“These cars are suitable for local service over the first 100-mile division,” President Miller announced blandly, “but the through limited equipment will, of course, be of a different design.”
The site for the huge 10,000 kilowatt power plant that was designed to supply the entire 100 miles of the first division was originally located where the Air Line route crossed the Little Kankakee River. There a ten-acre plot was bought, but in September, 1907, the site was changed to South LaPorte. By then, surveys had been completed as far east as the Ohio state line. As material was purchased and delivered, we extended the road westward, hung up trolley wire, ballasted and bonded the track; and before long the two interurban cars were rolling back and forth over two or three miles of main line.
Along the letterboard of each was the grandiloquent inscription, Chicago-Air-Line-New York, lettered in gold leaf. Over the center window on one vestibule of each car the destination, Chicago, also was lettered in gold leaf, and on the other end, New York. The two cars were numbered 101 and 102 respectively.
The crews sported dark blue broadcloth uniforms, with two gold-braid bands encircling the caps, on the front of which appeared the gold-embroidered word Motorman or Conductor. Air Line officials believed in doing things in style.
The visiting prospective stockholders were greatly impressed. After a breath-taking ride over the initial stretch of Air Line speedway, they were practically speechless and were ready to buy all the stock they could immediately afford and to subscribe for a few additional shares of the installment plan. Air Line prosperity was on the ascension. One of the motormen, C.P. Lyon, fell heir to more than $1,000,000 from an English estate, invested some of it in Air Line stock, and stayed on the job, not wishing to give up the pleasure of running the fast cars.
Construction progressed in 1907 until winter closed in and made work uneconomical. Snow drifted into deep cuts, filling them up level with the surface, and the beautiful green cars stuck fast in the drifts 30 feet deep. Having no snowplow equipment, the employees set to work digging them out with shovels.
That winter the nation experienced one of its periodic depressions. New sales of Air Line stock dropped to almost nothing. People who had undertaken to buy stock on the installment plan, being thrown out of work, could not keep up their payments. Although the public had already pledged enough money to build the entire first division of 100 miles between Chicago and Goshen, Ind., the money was not forthcoming and so we had to curtail construction work. It is said that the only two companies in northern Indiana that paid their employees in cash that winter were Standard Oil and the Air Line.
Around that time we had 750 men on the payroll. We also had 25 miles of sand-ballasted roadbed, 50 miles of right-of-way fences in position, overhead crossings above the Monon and Pere Marquette steam roads, and a Wabash crossing ready for the girders. Our right-of-way was 100 feet wide. We paid for it as we laid steel. Thus far, the road was absolutely straight.
It was only by authorizing an issue of $680,000 worth of cumulative 7 percent preferred stock that the Air Line directors were able to raise enough money to keep a skeleton crew together, and to resume construction work in May., 1908, when cutting, filling, and grading went forward.
Twenty-five miles out of LaPorte, we made a million-yard cut to fill in the Coffey Creek Valley, a half-mile across. The highest point of the temporary trestle was 45 feet above ground. For it alone we bought 40 acres of standing timber.
We finished the main line from LaPorte to a point south of Chesterton, Ind., about 20 miles. But dark clouds were gathering. With a $30,000 monthly payroll to meet and with stock sales lagging, we were ordered to ease up on purchases and to close the steam-shovel camp.
Anxious to show some sort of income, however small, the management built an amusement resort in a shady grove beside the track about six miles from LaPorte, including a pavilion with a dance floor and a band stand. Refreshment booths, games, swings, a
G’day Gents!
On my return home this day I saw petrol dip below the $2.30 mark – “collusion corner” had it at $2.29 (rounded). So, the question remains – does what goes up, really continue coming down And if so, how much
Appears that our B’day Celebrant is off-line, and has been. Hmmmm, one of those infrequent frequent electricity problems we rarely but fairly often hear about <grin> No matter – my guess is Rob is enjoying his 35th hopefully doing what he wants on this – his Natal Day!
Nice outpouring from the crew today – CM3 – BK – Pete and Lars have all chimed in with their respective wishes and I suspect there will be others as the day progresses.
I dusted off the last iteration of the Birthday Watch List on file and found that we have two “regulars” with Natal Days to round out this calendar year: BK (66) on October 18th and CM3 (60) on December 29th. And no, I’m not planning on resuming past activities with this.
Pete – just for the fun of it, I checked the round trip air fares between St. Louis and London (Heathrow) – good grief! ‘Nuf said . . . June would indeed be a great month and something to think seriously about – really. We need to put our heads together on this to see if it can happen . . . That rail itinerary you put together sounds terrific and I’d like to “do it” tomorrow! Let’s get a move on, eh
BK 'n Lars – I’m going to maintain a quiet – not neutral – stance on your discussion regarding the “message” that guy seems to think is necessary in his “signature” on the Forums. It’s up to Kalmbach to control these Threads – and apparently they are not interested in doing so – probably because someone thinks it is too much of a “hot button” issue, rather than jerk the chair out from under anyone with an “agenda” that is clearly out of bounds when it comes to the discussions these Forums are supposed to promote. Is that quiet enough Enjoyed your Pix!!
Ruth, set ‘em up for the boyz as I see Leon is about to enter the joint for his 5 PM start! Boris, ring the bell – help yourself to the chow over on the table guyz – better get to it before the Track Gangs arrive for their weekly pool tournament . . . <ohhhhhhhh>
On a much lighter note regarding Monday - it's "name the Penquin Day!" here at the bar!
Later!
To ROB To ROB To Rob To Rob!!
Another day older and deeper in debt . . . hopefully NOT! But, why be different from the rest of us! <grin> Hope you are spending your time doing what you want to do and with whom you want to be with! A five- Salute to you Sir on YOUR DAY!
Ruth my deAH - set 'em up and give the man of the hour anything (in a glass) his young heart desires! I'll take a Schaefer and mosey over to the buffet table that's been set up for Rob's special day! Ummmm, some good stuff here, I see . . . Boris, ring that bell a couple of times!
Nice 'stuff' from Da Boss, as usual, as it appears this Great RR Bridge series has taken hold quite well! Good selection, mate!
Hey Pete - is this a "private thing" between you and Da Boss, or can others join in I'd dearly love to take that itinerary you put together for rail trips in Scotland. Worst part of it is the flying between here and there - otherwise, I'm ready and will even spot the first SEVERAL rounds in the tavern car(s)!! May I come along - puleeze, may I, puleeze
CM3 I'm Not Shane! - you do manage to find some doozies, huh Now to get some pix to go along with the Chesapeake Western Railway!
Doug - enjoyed your dissertation on the Chicago - New York Air Line Railroad - more info than I knew existed! But really did know a "little" - but you know what they say about having a "little knowledge"!! <grin> Don't you just hate it when THAT happens - things not meeting up as planned! Nice cartoon, seen it in several iterations over the years, but always good for a grin or two!
BK - good to see you about the decks on this end of the week day! Always enjoy reading what my "bookend" has to say from the mountains of Alberta!
Regading the JO you brought up - I've seen that guy's "signature" on other threads and have thought the precise same thing. Where do these idiots come from I mean who gives a Rat's Patoot what his "preferences" are Perhaps we should begin a 'club' - hetero and proud of it! <barf> <gag> And what really ticks me off is that these people are trying to make US out as the one's with the problem! <arrrgghhh> Isn't that the "way" of the 21st century I totally agree - don't know why Kalmbach hasn't simply told this guy to remove that signature crap or he gets cut off. No "marbles" as they said in one of the "Major League" movies . ..
These are for the Birthday Boy - 35 is a nice set of numbers in years and "certain" sizes!
CP FP9A #1416 (photo: Ted Ellis)
CP FP9A #1432 (photo: John Binley)
One more Ruth – then I gotta skedaddle!
Until the next time!
Hi Tom and all.
ROB
A pint of Bathams and a round for ROB’s birthday!
DOUG interesting post on the Air-Line and the pic of the locos they would have used.
Thanks for the quiz answers. I never knew that Stephenson invented the whistle, but as the engineer for the line I should have known. I have seen a painting of a loco with the whistle. I believe it was known as a steam trumpet at first.
NICK Greta fish'n' chips last night. I never got to the Lochty Railway. But one trip I had behind No. 9 in 1980 was from Stirling to Dundee by Perth and then over the Tay and Fourth bridges back to Glasgow. On the next day it diesel to Falkirk where North British 0-6-0 No. 673 MAUDE and exLNER 4-4-0 No. 246 MORAYSHIRE took us on a trip round the Edinburgh suburban line and back to Motherwell.
CM3 It was a shame about the Penn Station demolition. A similar fate happened to Euston station in London. Although the demolition contractor marked the stone blocks of the Doric Arch some of the stones are said to be in the River Thames. This did start the movement to save historic buildings in the UK.
BK Great Canadian pictures for Rob's birthday
TOM Another great railroad bridge! Lethbridge Viabridge great to see it still being used for the purpose it was built for
Here is a plan for a visit to Scotland:
SCOTTISH INTINERY.
I would suggest June as it gets light real early in Scotland then and it is well worth getting up early to see the lochs and mountains on the line to Fort William which start not too many miles after the Glasgow suburbs.
Day one.
Overnight sleeper London Euston to Fort William
Steam train Fort William to Mallaig.
Ferry to Isle of Skye.
Bus to Kylekin then either stay in Skye or train
Kyle of Lochash to Inverness (a great city)
Day two
Inverness to Perth, then I would suggest,
Perth to Dundee.
Dundee to Edinburgh which would cross both the Tay and the Forth bridges
Night in Edinburgh .
I have looked at the timetable and it is quite feasible with a reasonable ferry service from Mallaig to Skye and a bus runs connecting with the ferry and runs direct to the Kyle railway station. There are not many trains on the Kyle to Inverness line. A mid-morning departure from Inverness would get us to Edinburgh by early evening even traveling up to Dundee from Perth to travel over the bridges. Perhaps one day we will be able to do it!
I'l have another RUTH then please.
Pete
Good Late Morning Captain Tom and all assembled!
A Natal Day in the works for trolleyboy Rob! to our friend in Ontario and many, many more! Ruth - give the lad a tankard of his favourite brew! Ah, to be 35 again rather than approaching twice that number . . .
Been an interesting couple of days with the accelorated submissions by our leader, Mentor and Proprietor - Captain Tom. Those Great RR Bridge submissions are excellent supplements to the otherwise fine outpouring of information seen here at the bar. Well done!
Ruth - I will have one of those tankards of Kokanee if you please and a half sandwich if you will - #7 should be fine. Also a round on me for the celebrants as they trickle in . . .
Lars - it appears as it you have taken on quite a load lately and although very much appreciated, hope that you do not find yourself back in the "groan mode" as the shortcomings and shortfalls of others begin to wear thin. Take that for what it is worth, for we know "they" are out there. For example, on Tom's Canadian RR thread there is a chap who for whatever the reason thinks it appropriate to "advertise" his sexuality through the signature portion of his postings. Now what in the world does that have to do with railroading I am amazed - but really not - that Kalmbach lets this stuff go unchallenged. I am so tempted to send this JO an e-mail - but I shall not. Yes - "they" are out there, but fortunatetly in very limited numbers here.
A reminder - as if we really need it - Monday is an anniversary, but not a happy one. Will September 11th ever mean anything else to those of us who cherish freedom and all that it promises
For you, Rob!
CN Super Continental at Frazier River Canyon - 1966
(from: trainweb.org - photo: Ron Goodenow)
CN Super Continental at Lake Louise - 1966
Enjoyed the contributions from Doug (cartoon as well) - Pete (fine looking Pacific) - CM3 (great insider information) - Lars (the "island report") and Captain Tom (wonderful series and postings)!
For what it is worth, I did not know the location of that photo Lars provided nor did I have the answers to ANY of the questions posed by Doug! <groan>
Have a relaxing weekend one and all and forgive me if I have not made this as inclusive as it could have been.
A B'day Special
for trolleyboy Rob !!
Great Railroad Bridges - #3
Used with permission from Wikipedia.com
Lethbridge Viaduct
Lethbridge Viaduct - A. Rafton / National Archives of Canada / PA-029691
The Lethbridge Viaduct, commonly known as the High Level Bridge, was constructed between 1907–1909 at Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada at a cost of $1,334,525.
Overview
This massive steel trestle over the Oldman River was designed by the Canadian Pacific Railway's bridge department in Montreal. The field work was directed by CPR's Assistant Chief Engineer J. E. Schwitzer. The steel work was manufactured by the Canadian Bridge Company of Walkerville, Ontario. A 100 man gang worked on the erection of the steel. Although there were some initial problems with settlement, the bridge has proved to be an enduring engineering work and is still in use today.
This bridge is one of the largest railway structures in Canada. It was built as part of a major diversion of the Crowsnest Pass route between Lethbridge and Fort Macleod. The river crossing was previously over a wooden trestle measuring 894 m (2,933 feet) long and 20 m (65 feet) high; an impressive structure in its own right.
History
The old approach was over steep grades that hampered operations. In addition, extensive cuts and many other bridges were needed to cross various creeks and coulees. Past the St Mary's River crossing, several large cuts had been required. Large bridges were also required, including a 275-m (900-foot) trestle with a 61-m (200-foot) span west of the St. Mary River, a 183-m (600-foot) trestle at Eight-Mile Coulee and another of 274-m (900 feet) in length near Eight-Mile Coulee. At Sixteen-Mile Coulee there was a 244-m (800-foot) trestle, 40.5 m (133 feet) high with a 61-m (200-foot) truss span over the creek. The trestles on the original line out of Lethbridge totalled 4.5 km (2.8 miles).
Although the original route accomplished its purpose in allowing the CPR to rapidly complete the railway, it turned out to be expensive to operate. The original bridges were designed to last only about 10 years. The CPR decided, in 1905 to construct a completely new route on a better gradient to bypass the original line. The new line was built to the north of the Oldman River. It required two bridges, one just west of Lethbridge—the High Level Bridge—over the Oldman River and another large bridge over the Oldman River again west of Monarch. This route eliminated many curves and reduced the grade from 1.2 percent to only 0.4 percent. It also saved 8.5 km (5.26 miles) of track.
Construction began in the summer of 1907. Clearing and grading the site, construction of piers, and placement of the footings progressed while the steelwork was being prefabricated. Raising the steelwork began in mid-August 1908. Once the steelwork reached track level at the Lethbridge end, it was possible to begin using a huge travelling crane, pictured below, called an "erection traveller". It was used to lower the steel beams and girders into place. The last girder was placed in June 1909 and riveting was completed in August 1909. Transport of the steel to the site required 645 railway cars while another 40 were needed to bring in equipment.
Specifications
Happy Railroading! Siberianmo
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house, and $ for the jukebox. Instrumentals today: Black Mountain Rag, Toad in the Well, and one of Awks’ favorites, Hell on the Wabash. Last two are old Civil War tunes.
Rob’s 35 – How much is that in trolley years? I knew he’d taken a lot of voltage, but........
Barndad – Thanks for more information on the NY and Chicago Air Line.
Nick’s here – menu looks good.
Pete – Thanks for a4 picture. Your remarks on the Comet brought back a few memories – good airplane, once they corrected the metal fatigue problem(s) in the wings. Britannias and Viscounts both flew domestically here along the east coast and other areas as well.
Mike gave us some heartbreaking pictures of Penn Station. They broke up all of that stone work and dumped a lot of it in the Jersey Meadows. IIRC, two of the eagles were saved. They are beside one of the entrances to the current Penn Station, but for the life of me I can’t remember which one.
James Farley, for those who care, was one of FDRs operatives. He was named Postmaster General when FDR took office. Jonathan Alters’ new book, The Defining Moment, has a lot about Farley. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in that time period.
Tom – Thanks for the Forth Bridge material. Fascinating stuff, but then I enjoy that sort of thing. The 39 Steps - one fine movie. Can we run it at the Mentor Theeatuh?
How about another short line? I remember photographing Alco T6 power on this one. The T6 was an interesting beast and there were not too many of them.
Chesapeake Western Ry.
Elkton, VA – Staunton, VA: 46 miles
Harrisonburg, VA – Bridgewater, VA 8 miles
Connections with
C&O – Staunton, WV
N&W – Elkton, VA
SOU – Harrisonburg, VA
Also, b4 I forget, the B&O roundhouse at Martinsburg, WV has been designated as a National Civil Engineering landmark.
work safe
We have made it to another Friday - the end of the work week for many and what better place to begin the countdown to the weekend than right here at the Saloon by the Siding!
It's also a special day for a Charter Member of "Our" Place (meaning, he first Posted on the day we opened - April 12th, 2005) - trolleyboy Rob is 35 today!
Nice article on the Chicago - New York Air Line RR, Doug! Chock full o' interesting material and surely answered all of my questions! Great way to kick off the day . . .
Hope to be back a bit later on with something "special" for our Natal Day Boy - Rob. So, until then - Boris serve 'em up all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle as they await the Grand Entrance of our redheaded bartender - Ruth (at 9 AM)!
Later . . .
Good morning Tom and friends. I'll have two light breakfasts please. A few pages ago, Rob posted on the Chicago-New York Air Line, and I just happened to run across an article on it as well. I think ya'll will enjoy this. Here's part I:
In 1909 the Chicago-New York Air Line bought this car for use on its subsidiary, the Goshen, South Bend & Chicago Ry.
Chicago- New York Air Line promoters promised average speed of 75 miles per hour between America’s two biggest cities.
December sleet was lashing the Windy City one cold day on 1905 when a small group of pioneers, intent on building a new railroad, met in a Chicago office and pooled $800 to pay for a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Sunday Tribune.
Months passed. The ad did not appear until July, 1906, three months before the first issue of Railroad Magazine came out. According to the ad, a new electric system to be known as the Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad would link the two greatest cities in America in a line as straight as an arrow, and the company was ready to start grading the right-of-way and laying ties and rails.
Chicago to New York in ten hours! That’s what the ad promised. Modern, streamlined, electric locomotives would rush passengers, mail, express, baggage, and freight over a double-tracked speedway at an average rate of 75 miles per hour!
It would be a line without curves or grade crossings, and with a maximum grade of one-half on one percent – 26 feet to the mile – at least as far west as the Allegheny Mountains. It would span valleys on high fills, crossing streams on high viaducts, penetrating hills through deep cuts, and using the mountains of Pennsylvania.
According to the pipe-dream, the main line would not touch any large center of population except the two terminals, but branches would be built to various points en route. By this means the promoters aimed to cut the distance between the two great cities to 750 miles, although the shortest route at that time, the Pennsy’s covered 908 miles in about 18 hours.
His dramatic news flashed around the world. Telegrams and letters asking for details poured into the Majestic Building so thickly that the new company had to rent an entire floor and staff it with clerks to answer them. When stock was offered to the public at $25 a share, a mob of buyers swarmed into the building to such an extent that regular tenants could hardly get near their own offices.
Publicity men ballyhooed the project with such appeals as “Here is your opportunity!” and “The chance of a lifetime!” They pointed out that the new road would be built entirely by stock subscription – no bond issues. This meant, they said, that all earnings above actual operating expenses would accrue to stockholders as dividends. One ad read:
Don’t sit around and growl at the Standard Oil Company. When the Air Line, with no bondholders, earns 15 percent on your money, the stock for which you paid $25 a share will by worth $300…
This is for the man with the ordinary income. No rich capitalist will put up the money and absorb all the profits.
This ad was true in one respect; no capitalist could “absorb all the profits.” There weren’t going to be any to absorb!
The winter of 1906-’07 found the company with 15,000 get-rich-quick subscribers on the books and more than two million of cold cash in a Chicago bank. By this time they decided to start building. Someone recommended me as chief engineer, and Colonel U.P. Hord, one of the promoters said:
“Find Blake Mapledoram, turn him loose, and consider the road built.”
They located me at Memphis, Tenn., where I was rehabilitating the city railways for a New York firm, and put me to work on the Air Line. That was February 2,1907.
My better judgment told me to wait until the spring thaw, but the promoters wanted action right away.
“We have millions,” they boasted, “and the stockholders are crying for results.”
The fact that big rail magnates of the day poo-poohed the scheme as impractical did not discourage either the management or the investors. Men with stardust in their eyes attributed the opposition to the fear of competition. The promoters knew nothing at all of railroad construction. From the very start we had waste and mismanagement, and this lasted until the sorry ball of yarn was wound up eighteen months later.
You can hardly blame the public for being gullible. Remember, this was back in 1906. The stage was set for just such an ambitious undertaking. Electric motive power was just coming into use. Fast interurban trolley lines were shooting out in all directions, robbing the steam roads of suburban traffic and , later on , inter-city traffic also. The interurbans were acquiring much express and freight business and were getting a few mail contracts. They were even putting on sleepers and a few diners.
Then the steam roads began waking up to the formidable competition offered by the juice lines. The New Haven, under President C.C. Mellen, adopted the policy of buying up all the competing electric lines in New England, while both the New Haven and the influential Pennsylvania had already acceded to popular demand by launching costly electrification projects.
Yes, in those bright days, electric railroading was an up-and-coming thing. The public was in a receptive mood for the Chicago-New York Air Line Railroad. Alexander C. Miller headed the new company. More than six feet tall, he was heavily built, wore a black felt hat, and smoked fat cigars. He was suave and genial in manner – just the kind of front man the promoters needed to inspire confidence. He had a good railroad background, too. As a boy, he’d gone braking on the Lake Shore line, later becoming a telegraph operator on other roads, and then a train dispatcher on the Burlington at Aurora , Ill.
On September 1, 1906, a crowd congregated three miles south of LaPorte, Ind., for the official ground-breaking ceremony. Mr. Miller did the honors with a silver spade. People cheered; a brass band played. Then a gang of laborers started to dig in earnest.
The new railroad was beginning to shape up. But slowly. Red tape, winter, and frozen ground delayed the progress. Not until May 1, 1907, did we complete the first stretch of track – a three-mile spur from the ground-breaking scene on the main line to the city of LaPorte. The stockholders grinned with joy. Prosperity seemed so very near.
Special trains loaded with stockholders and prospective investors ran from Chicago almost daily. All persons who came along to inspect the new railroad were given free lunches – the only dividend they received from their investment. Meanwhile, a monthly publication known as Air Line News was launched under the editorship of Charles P. Burton to keep up popular enthusiasm with news items, photographs, and maps.
Each step in the building of this remarkable railroad was dramatized and triumphantly reported. Stockholders proudly showed the magazine to their friends. The fever spread, money poured in, and the construction work pushed merrily on. Those stockholders were dancing on the edge of a precipice – but they didn’t know, until it was too late to pull out.
Official letterhead shows freak type of electric locomotive that was contemplated for the dream railway but was never built.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c330/Barndad/stuff/emergenc.jpg
Leon, a Keiths for me and give 'em whatever they'd like - ring it, Boris!
A banner night here at the Tavern by the Tracks as it appears our Chief Chef Nick has decided to occupy the kitchen once again! H&H were handling the chores on an interim basis - and we've not advertised for another - therefore the job is yours to lose! <grin>
That menu surely brought back memories of feasts gone by . . . nice work!
Appreciate - once again - the support from Lars in keeping the flow in a forward manner. You are correct, Sir in that the LGB trains are indeed brought to "life" by that German loco Pete provided. Looks exactly like the ones I have with my 2 LGBs that traverse the tree at Christmas.
Doug - those quiz questions were absolute mind-benders - Yikes!! For once it appears your jokes were more welcome than your 'substance.' Enjoyed the 'teamwork' cartoon . . .
Nick - I'm totally "alone" in this world as far as blood-relatives are concerned, Mate - am unaware of any "namesakes" wandering the planet - aside from my children, that is. You owe me an Email - so let's get going on "catch up."
Received your Email, Pete and we'll have to seriously consider that Chicago trip, eh That's one fine loco you provided - anything "Pacific" is a sure-fire-winner, wouldn't you agree Happy to know the Forth Bridge 'did it' for ya - it was a most educational and interesting piece to put together. I had not heard of it and now have added it to the "list" of things I just MUST see! Would we cross this bridge on our Scotland trip that we've been discussing
It's been an interesting day - even without our friends BK 'n Rob. Appreciate the rounds - quarters from CM3 - and submissions from one and all! Speaking of CM3 - figured he'd come up with the quiz photo from Lars. Man oh man - I remember that Post Office building from way back when . . .
One more, Leon then I'm
Good evening Tom and friends! I'll have a bottomless draught, Nick's Cleddau Bass and buy a round for the house. Seems like most of the "regulars" have been here. Nice shot on our ex-governor Ryan Lars. Never liked the guy. Let's see how much time he actually serves out in the country club. As for the Rendevous, count me in. Any date is good. Very impressive that CM3 was all over your picture quiz, but I believe Tom had the answer too. Speaking of CM3, now I'll need to be looking up Dinky toys to see what they were. I guess the only clue I gave on the quiz was that it appeared in a December 1956 magazine, so all information would have preceded that date. As to how many spikes would be used in question # 6, I'm guessing two per tie-plate, so a little more than 12,000, as shown in the instructive picture below.
I really liked the Forth Railway Bridge post Tom. Nice follow-up post from Peter on the same subject. Very impressive that Pete has actually steamed across! Not sure you're going to like the answer to the steam whistle question Peter. Just remember, I type what I see. Thanks for more great URLs Mike. And now, for the answers to this mornings test:
A priest walked into a barber shop in Washington, D.C. After he got his haircut, he asked how much it would be. The barber said, "No charge. I consider it a service to the Lord." The next morning, the barber came to work and there were 12 prayer books and a thank you note from the priest in front of the door.Later that day, a police officer came in and got his hair cut. He then asked how much it was. The barber said, "No charge. I consider it a service to the community." The next morning, he came to work and there were a dozen donuts and a thank you note from the police officer.Then, a Senator came in and got a haircut. When he was done he asked how much it was. The barber said, "No charge. I consider it a service to the country." The next morning, the barber came to work and there were 12 Senators in front of the door.
Well howdy chaps,apologies for the absense-an unexpected mid-week show and some domestic friction--such is life.
Thanks to all for the New Haven stuff-between you all,with your various interests and styles you have provided as comprehensive an overview as a chap could wish for.... all round.
Whoops-completely forgot my manners here,let alone house rules-Who wants a beer ?-right Leon,sort `em out my son-round for the house & keep `em coming-thats the ticket.......
I dunno-you miss a couple of days and there`s yards of good stuff going down-not enough hours in the day
A couple of points I did notice-MIKE`S URL of the C-Liners-the pic was taken by one Carl Weber-any relation ???
Also the URL of the Snowden Mountain Rly-that wasn`t a regular passenger train-it was either a M.O.W working or a supply train to the cafe at summit stn
PETE-those A4`s are graceful beasts are they not ?-When I used to live in St Andrews in Fife,I used to take regular trips across to Lochty to ride behind 60009 `Union of South Africa`with the beaver tail Obs car up and down the old Fife Central line ( a glorified siding really) before she was put into storage in the Markinch freight shed....happy days.
Right,to the business of the night:-It would seem that H&H have been called away to an emergency gathering of the clan in the hills above Mentor Village-Apparently there are concerns that now Boris`s image has been captured,his soul may be at risk (pagan superstition I know,but who can tell.....)
As I am here,and not being one to let people down,I have swapped my Telecaster for an apron ,double breasted white jacket & check trousers (not to mention the silly hat) for the evening and after a cursory check of the fridges am pleased to offer:-
Fillets of Cod,Plaice,Haddock & Halibut in beer batter with fries,
Prawns,Scallops,Cockles & Whelks in a piquant sauce in a Tortilla wrap
Middle cut wing of Skate in buerre noisette sauce with chefs salad
Cleddau Bass (flown in by Zeppelin) poached in rum, lime and ginger with Pembrokeshire baby new potatoes ,green beans & baby carrots .
Right,looks like I`m going to be busy for the rest of the evening-who let the galley get into this sort of state ???????
out with the cleaning materials-there is work to be done here-has Boris been sleeping in here or what......?
mutter mutter mutter,grumble grumble groan moan
Give us half an hour to get things squared away and we will have a full service-somebody put some Stones tunes on Herr W. please--- lets get shaped up and ready to rock`n`roll..................O.K team,lets do it.................
Awright-the galley is now open-lets have a look at yer..................................................
Take care chaps ,see you soon ,TTFN,nick
The post on the Forth bridge as brought me back into the bar. So I'll have the fish 'n' chips now and a Bathams to wash them down please.
The Forth bridge is one of those structures that never fail to impress no matter how often you cross them. I first crossed it in the early 70s in the dawn light after an overnight journey from the south and it made a lasting impression. One of the best trips across the bridge was from about the same time on a Sunday when one of the double tracks was being worked on. The train I was on ran wrong line across the bridge at a very slow speed allowing time to take in the full splendor, in those days it was possible to look out of the windows in the doors of the cars not like the modern cars.
I have also been fortunate to cross the bridge with steam power on specials that were run on trips to Perth or Aberdeen, their does not seem to be very much steam across the bridge lately. One trip was hauled by a ex LNER Pacific A4 'Union of South Africa which spent most of its life sheded at Haymarket shed in nearby Edinburgh and ex LNER A2 pacific #60532 Blue Peter which was a Dundee loco.
Ex LNER A4 pacific.
It is good that a memorial is planned for all those killed or injured in the bridge's construction, the human cost is sometimes overlooked in the construction of these great structures.
Many thanks TOM for a great post.
MIKE Thanks for the Forth bridge pic and Penn station.
LARS Just caught your post. I'm real sad I didn't win the photo quiz prize. Glad you liked the German loco, I will try to post some more Sunday, Alan said it was a great trip.
The fish 'n' chips were very tasty and the new mascot, who is soon to be named, took quite an interest in them, another round please.
Pete.
Ruth my deAH, another R&H if you please - a round for the house and keep the change!
You WIN the "prize" coalminer 3 CM3 I'm Not Shane! Very good! A grand old building just begging for use! Prize An evening "out" with Boris, Tex, Awk and the yet-to-be-named Penguin. A managerie by any other name! By the way - thanx for the 2 visits today!
Pete, that German loco sure looks like an LGB train! What a resemblance. Guess there really are operating trains that look - well like toys! More - we need more!
Captain Tom - what a treat with your Great RR Bridges series. Never heard of that bridge over in Scotland - but it sure looks like a mighty span. Must've been quite the engineering feat. Keep it going, Mate - you're doing fine!
My pleasure in helping out today - just happy that it worked that way.
One more Ruth, then I'm outta here . . . .
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house
1961
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/cushman/full/P12375.jpg
1962
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0400/ny0411/photos/119997pr.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0400/ny0411/photos/119996pr.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0400/ny0411/photos/119989pr.jpg
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0400/ny0411/photos/119994pr.jpg
Lately
http://www.newyorkgames.org/files/images/05_09_12_NYT.jpg
http://www.kclibrary.org/lhimgs/kcpl/regular/10005980_reg.jpg
Are you still behind the Bar Tom, I have the usual and who's is doing the Fish 'N' Chips tonlght, I'll give them a try even if they are H&H's anyway.
ROB Just missed you last night, thanks for the Air-Line pics.
DOUG Thats a stiff test this morning. Can I have a stab at questions 8 &9. Was the first steam whistle on the Leicester & Swannington Railway at the suggestion of the manager a Mr. Bagster in 1833 after a collision with the loco Samson and a horse & cart going to Leicester market. Before this, a horn was used as a warning. Another interesting fact about the line when a year earlier the first steam loco on the line, driven by George Stephenson himself, had its 13 foot stack knocked off by a tunnel on the line..
CM3Thanks for the Providence station story. I must admit I liked the city when we stayed there and we hoping to go back there one day. If we do I am definately going to have a rail trip to New York from there. That must be great information from your dad, there is no substitute to being there. Back in England a local history professor does tape interviews with older residents in the West Midland area, on the olden days, and he plays some on a radio programme on a Sunday lunchtime, very interesting.
Mention of DINKY stirred some memories, they are very collectable in the UK. Two of the favourites I had was a Coles crane on a truck, I know they done a Coles crane on its own, and a Dinky aircraft bought as a present from an Aunt which was kept in its box, I cannot recall wether it was A Britannia turbo prop or a Comet jet. I would love to have them still.
LARS Thanks to that great link to the South Brooklyn railroad whitch CM3 mentioned. It must have been the only line to have had a whale get stuck in a tunnel again. The New York Cross Harbor Railroad in the link is another interresting line. Can I go with CM3,s answer to your picture quiz.
TOM It was great to talk to you this morning. That rate for the car repair is scandelous, I had better ship my tools over from the old land although I didn't do auto repair. I will answer the E-Mail now.
A taster of the pics Alan has sent from his German trip.
Great Railroad Bridges - #2
Forth Railway Bridge
The Forth Bridge, viewed from the Fife side, straddling the Firth of Forth.
Official name
Forth Bridge
Carries
Trains
Crosses
Firth of Forth
Locale
Edinburgh, Scotland
Maintained by
Balfour Beatty under contract to Network Rail]
Design
Cantilever bridge
Longest span
2 of 521.3 m (1710 ft)
Total length
2528.7 m (8296 ft)
Clearance below
150 ft
AADT
190 - 200 trains per day
Opening date
March 4, 1890
The Forth Bridge is a railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 km (9 miles) west of Edinburgh. It is often called the "Forth Rail Bridge" to distinguish it from the Forth Road Bridge. The bridge connects Scotland's capital Edinburgh with Fife, and acts as a major artery connecting the north-east and south-east of the country.
Forth Bridge at Night
Construction of an earlier bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Bouch, got as far as the laying of the foundation stone, but was stopped after the failure of another of his works, the Tay Bridge. On Bouch's death the project was handed over to Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, who designed a structure that was built by Sir William Arrol's company between 1883 and 1890. Baker - "one of the most remarkable civil engineers Britain ever produced" - and his colleague Allan Stewart received the major credit for design and overseeing construction work.
Construction
The bridge is, even today, regarded as an engineering marvel. It is 2.5 km (1.5 miles) in length, and the double track is elevated 46 m (approx. 150 ft) above high tide. It consists of two main spans of 1,710 ft, two side spans of 675 ft, 15 approach spans of 168 ft, and five of 25 ft. Each main span comprises two 680 ft cantilever arms supporting a central 350 ft span girder bridge. The three great four-tower cantilever structures are 340 ft (104 m) tall, each 70 ft diameter foot resting on a separate foundation. The southern group of foundations had to be constructed as caissons under compressed air, to a depth of 90 ft. At its peak, approximately 4,600 workers we
Good Afternoon Barkeep(!) and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
I'll take a stab at the building - Farley Post Office Bldg in New York which "they" want to turn into a "new" Penn Station, let alone it's right across the street from where the old Penn Station used to be - I'll stop now b4 Boris drags me to the rat room. Cripes, you can't even get a sleeper on the NEC unless its part of a longer haul run, and now they want to spend !@#$ dollars on a new station - Boris! I say, put the pool cue down and unhand me!
A couple of possible quiz answers. These questions are a little tough to answer as there is no date as to when the quiz was developed.
1. More than one road had these these. IIRC, the following roads did experiments with gas trurbines (coal fired): C&O, UP, and N&W.
5. If I did my math right 6,034 tie plates. How many spikes, folks?
Congratulations on dealing with the car beasties. I know what you mean abt. why didn't I pick that trade!
Ruth, looks as if you need a break - take your time and have some lunch!
So, appears as if the bar is in a "fizzle" as the flow seems to have gotten to a "trickle" . . . however, many THANX to Lars for pitching in - and he wasn't asked - appreciate your willingness to help!
I KNOW the answer- however, I'll hold off and let someone else jump in with the "quiz" from Lars! Insofar as the stuff from Doug is concerned - yikes! Looks like "work" to me!
Spent a bit of time at the auto dealer's repair facility where the shop rate is $104 per HOUR! Man oh man - what did I do WRONG in my career Never got that kinda money from "Uncle" - didn't happen then, and I seriously doubt it happens now. Anyway, I must've been "living right" for the things I needed done were covered on our Extended Warranty! Yeah Team! Let's hear it for some wise planning back when the car was purchased! Of course it cost a King's Ransom for the coverage - but today, I feel like I won the Lottery!
Nice chatting with you this AM - Pete - and there's an Email waiting for ya!
I see that coalminer3 CM3 has dropped one on us and this must be "mind bending day" at the Tavern by the Tracks! Is this stuff going to be on the "test"?????? As the kids in college constantly ask my teacher-wife! Of course not, she replies - why in the world would we test you on anything we say or put on the board???? <grin>
Thanx for the feedback, Doug - it would really be a shame if we couldn't spend a bit of time at that fantastic model RR up your way. And yes - dates need to be selected. I'm still waiting for you guys to ship me some Emails with the best times for YOU. Hmmmmmm - maybe still a bit too early though. Let's resume the E-flow!
Boris - you handsome Devil of a Cyclops - ring the bell, and let's get something started!
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