G'day Gents!
Landscaping continues
More next week <maybe>!
Tom
Missed any
Part II is on Page 180
Part III is on Page 184
Part IV is on Page 186
Good Afternoon Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. We had some more snow last night (nothing like they said we were supposed to receive), but we'll take it. We are presently under a ‘heavy snow warning" and the sun is out.
More !@#$ meetings this a.m., and I just have a few minutes before we start again. Gotta love it! It doesn't happen too often, but when it does, they come in bunches.
Let's see what we have today.
DD1 was in with some more chronological information. IIRC, Biro is still in business.
Pete stopped by with cable car pictures and other contributions.
Allan was by with comments and Eric also with comments and affine cold weather picture - nothing like steam in the cold.
Fergie visited with modeling pictures and a photo tour of downtown Gorham - got me all homesick. The CP cabs are fine-looking models.
Mike was in with some more NYC material.
Liked the picture(s) of the various locomotives with a 10th Avenue Cowboy. The 4th shot when enlarged has a fine looking wagon with a horse complete with blanket and nose bag - excellent!
Also, blow those other puppies up and look at all of the gasoline station signs, streetlights, and other details. Then we have all sorts of express and baggage cars as well and several cuts of truly vintage PFE refrigerators.
OSP sent along some rr heralds - purple SAL herald? Yikes! Glad to see you are keeping the four-footed one in fighting trim. They do like their outside work, whatever the weather happens to be. Enjoyed seeing the latest step-by-step installment re your S gauge operation. You can learn a lot by looking as Yogi used to say.
E-mail rec'd and thank you.
A couple of comments for the folks re the stats I posted. It gives you a sense of how the railroads were reequipping after the war. The diesel was truly making inroads and this was just the beginning. Some of you picked up on the steam engine figures - most of these were being built by/for Pocahontas roads which were determined to keep steam as long as they could for obvious reasons.
The car figures are interesting as well - lots of box and automobile cars. Automobile cars are all gone now. They were still building stock cars as well - they are virtually all gone now as well. The hopper car figures were interesting because you are starting to see "covered hoppers' in greater numbers. All in all, a time of transitions. BTW, I found some more Wabash-related information from back then which I will try and post by the end of this week.
Well, back we go.
Work safe
Another noontime visit from CM3 Shane . . . busy man, but found the time to join us at the bar! Also noticed your visit over on "my other Thread"!! THANX!
Logged some quality time with Fergie 'n Pete over the phone lines . . . Enjoyed speaking with y'all . . .
Email sent to our "off line net" members . . .
Now Arriving on Track #1
Six Pack Special Number Ten
RR advertisements from the Classic Era
New Haven Railroad
Northern Pacific - Alaska
New York Central System
Baltimore & Ohio Capitol Ltd
Erie Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Enjoy!
#1 . . . Page 107
#2 . . . Page 109
#3 . . . Page 115
#4 . . . Page 118
#5 . . . Page 128
#6 . . . Page 136
#7 . . . Page 149
#8 . . . Page 162
#9 . . . Page 178
Hi Tom and all.
A pint of Bathams please RUTH.
MIKE. Many thanks for those great old photos of New York City's old rail lines. Love the photos of the steam tramway locomotives (they a re called in the UK) and the electric/diesel loco we talked about before.
Unfortunately I got "Page not found" on the Shorpy links but there was a great Jack Delano photo on the home page.
Talking of Starbucks guess what is next to this grand gate at Canterbury Cathedral England..
ALLAN Glad you liked the San Francisco photos. I would like to go back there again and ride the streetcars and the cable cars again and visit the cable car museum.
I watched the France v England game a day after, but it is quite easy to avoid hearing the result here so it is like a live match. I though it was a good game. I wonder if Wales can get the Gland Slam. The bride is getting quite interested in Rugby and wants to see a live game next time we are over England.
It is hard to believe Newcastle is only 6 points above the drop zone. I see they have got to play some teams below them and should get some wins there. Hopefully the ‘Toon will be safe before they play Sunderland on April 19th
ROB It sounds cold where you are, hopefully Spring is not too far away. I blame the groundhog.
I just love it when the ‘Technical Help' tell you to log on to their website if you could log on to the Internet you would not be phoning themI could not explain that it works sometimes and not other times when I turn on the puter.
The drivers on the San Francisco cable cars seemed to be really enjoying their job, I dare say the cars go thorough a great many of those brake blocks on those hills. Glad you enjoyed the photos.
That is very good point about the buses. It is true that with the general public, and not just railfans, that it is nowhere near the same enjoyment traveling by bus instead of a trolley or train, even over the original trackbed and the scenery is the same.
ERIC Thanks for the kind words on the photos.
I still think I would be a great asset as a camera tester for one of the camera manufacturers. I still have quite a few of my prints that were not put in albums to go through, so hopefully the Rainhill photos are there.
Yes we had more snow than was forecast this weekend, like your great photo, I think locomotives look great in the snow.
FERGIE Thanks for the beer. Those two new CP cabooses look great.
Thanks for the photos of Gorham depot and the Central Vermont 0-6-0, an interesting looking locomotive, I guess they were used for local freights.
I wonder how long the Ocean will be formed of the old cars with dome cars.
CM3 Thanks for the round.
Many thanks for the details on Mike's NYC photos and on the stats from 1949.
TOM Great to talk to you this morning.
Glad you computer problems are on the way to being solved. With mine being an intermittent fault with the wireless connection I am wondering quite what the problem is. Once I get the connection, it works fine, the problem is just when I first start up.
Thanks for the kind words on the photos those UP diesels were in good condition with signs of recent re-numbering. I will have to try to find out why they have been renumbered perhaps they were from a fallen flag line.
Those ‘Leap Year' cards show how some humor as not changed in a century.
That was interesting, Fergie seeing the Budd cars in Halifax.
Thanks for the photos of the next installment of the building of the S-Capades,
Good evening Leon still cold and snowy here -10C was the high today tomorrow's not supposed to be much warmer but we are supposed to see sun most of the day,not sure it matters when it's windy and -15 though.Sooo a large hot water bottle and I think a crown royal to keep the blood circulating
Tom-Nice to hear that you got some satisfaction from "Bob" the techie I've not had any failures yet with the highspeed land line yet so I'll take me chances.BTW got the email thanks for the heads up
Another nice spat of scenicing the S-capades sir ,were those Rebok boxes scale Interetsing group of posters as well.
Eric-I ddin't think 24/7 on calls were legal in the RR business anymore, but that would have been a major negative if I were in those shoes as well.The keep on a training and constantly upgrading one's position is fairly standard as well,on CN they do the training the same way,they don't make you loose the job if you don't choose to move on up though.Neat shot of the steamer in the old country.
Mike-Nice shots,sorry that that url didn't come up it sounded interesting.You will be happy to know that I had a batch of new extra strength rubber gloves come in to help you with your cage duties.
Fergie-Hey nice to see you, I was starting to feel outnumbered as the only Canadian with you back we have them surrounded again I see you chose the same paint scheme as I did for the CPR Vans,I just had to have a pair as well I was a bit miffed that the Grand river railway One's didn't come out with them though they were supposed to Nice steamer !
Pete-Sounds like you have a semi-handle on the puter issues,half a mosheen's better than no mosheen I guess. Couple interesting shots from you today as well. I just have to say that that Starbucks location is just plain wrong some things you just should not mess with.The motormen you met seem to be par for the coarse with San Fran's Historic transit systems.
I'm wondering if the Budds on the Ocean that Fergie saw are due to the ongoing upgrades on the renasance equipment to make them all wheel chair accesable.They may well have on and off Budd service all year long
CM3-Hey glad our number one daytime barfly could still make it in meetings non-withstanding.Interesting new insight on those car stats. I imagine most of those covered hoppers were the early two bay square ones.
Rob
Here's another classic re-roll from the old thread page 295 originally
CLASSIC STEAM #21THE HUNTSVILLE AND LAKE OF BAYS RY
A true shortline This is a story of a true shortline, not one in the sence of today's modern railroading. The Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway was only slightly over a mile and a third in length.Yet it was a very important transportation link in the Muskoka regions early developement. It began when a Muskoka sawmill operator named George Marsh entered the steamboat business and aquired a charter to provide steamer service to Penninsula Lake and Lake of Bays. The railroads had arrived in Muskoka with lines through Huntsville and Gravenhurst almost two decades earlier, the entire Muskoka region was quickley developing into a booming resort area. ( which it still is today )Grand hotels were springing up all over and around the numerous pine forested lakes of the Muskoka region. The only way to reach most of these in the pre-auto years was by train and steamboat. While the Muskoka lakes lay right on the mainline of the Grand trunk,the Lake of Bays,which was one of the regions most stunning locations was well beyond the reach of the GT's rails. One propposal to reach this area was by the Bracebridge and Trading Lake railway, which was an on again off again economic nightmare. Marsh was working on a plan to build a railway over the height of land that seperated Penninsula Lake and the Lake of Bays. Although this land bridge was only a mile and a half long it presented the challenge of a height difference between the two lakes of 165' over the mile.A canal was out of the question as this of coarse is Canadain shield type rock ! So his idea was to build a portage railway between his two steamer warfs would be the cheapest and easiest proposition. In 1895 Marsh was granted his charter to build the railway. In 1900 he started the building of his new railway which he named the Huntsville and Lake of Bays railway. His first thought was to electrify it and build it standard guage. There was no ready sorce of electricity,so they went with a steam powered railway built to a narrow 3 and a half foot guage instead.This odd size was picked because it matched the width of the locomotives he had for the railway.Small 0-4-0 saddle engines.In 1904 the line was finished and Marsh rode the first train a couple months before he died. In the early years, the HLB provided the only means of moving people and supplies to the lakeside resorts. In later years once cars and busses and trucks became available they were used instead of the steamers.The train trip became an excursion rather than a needed journey. Tourists would travel to Huntsville on CNR's Muskoka express,stopping first at Gravenhurst warf,and then onto the station warf in Huntsville.Here the steamer Algonquin picked them up and carried them to Fairy Lake and then through the canal to Penninsula Lake and to the railways North portage terminus.Passengers would then get on board one of the HLB's two wooden passenger cars for the short bouncy journey to the South Portage on the Lake of Bays. It was not unusual for a heavily loaded train comming out of the North Portage to not make it up the steep grade on the first try,so they'ed back down to the switchback and have a second go at it ! If trip two didn't work passengers were given the option of walking ! In 1947 the original saddle tank locomotives, were nearing the end of their own line and were sold to an American collector, and replaced with newer ones. These years also marked the improved road and car days so alot of Muskoka tourists began to drive to the resorts.The grand resorts were also begining to be bulldozed in favour of private cottages which now ring the Muskoka lakes. In 1952 the lake steamers were mostly retired so the HLB ran as a novelty tourist line.In 1960 the line was shut down and the equipment was sold to Pinafore Park in St Thomas where it ran for many years as a summer kiddy ride.In the early 90's part of the line near Huntsville has been reactivated as part of the Huntsville Pioneer villiage, the locomotives were reaquired from the Park and they now offer short rides upto the first portage and back a five minute or so ride. Neat little engine house and two small armstrong turntables at either end turn the trains. Rob
Mind the doors please
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Time for my weekly Rumpsteak Café de Paris! Leon, I'll have the usual Paris thing, please! A cold Keith's will be perfect.
An almost perfect weather day in the desert this Wednesday, 81°.
Fergie – Thanks for the photos! About your new babies, is that original paint scheme CP used on their cabooses? Red on the sides and yellow on the ends? Interesting locomotive, the Central Vermont 0-6-0. As far as I can recall all 0-6-0 I have seen before in Euope are tank locomotives. I may be wrong, but ...Tom – I am glad knowing that Juneau isn’t spoiled at all. Not a bit! Who doesn’t remember Victor Borge? The very funny guy from Denmark! I must have missed the link?!? I loved to see him in different shows. Even I saw him live once in Stockholm many, many years ago. The S-gauge layout starts to look the way I remember it! One thing I missed when I saw it last May is that highway on top of the tunnel part! Never saw it. I’ll look closer next time. Very nice posters and ads! CM3 – Interesting what happened after WW II when the railroads started to renew their rolling stock. The Swedish State Railways didn’t buy their last new steam engines until 1953. The last steam locomotives were taken out of service 1972. About 200 of them were saved as a reserve. They were ready for for almost immediate service for many, many years, just needed water and coal. Pete – Starbucks coffee next to the Canterbury Cathedral? Hmm, I must say I am not big on Starbucks coffee. It is bitter. In many countries planners are using what is called the track factor when they are looking into converting a bus line to streetcars or trains. If you replace a bus with something running on rails the number of passengers will increase with a factor of 1.2 - 1.4. It is hard to explain but that has been proved many times around the world. Good luck finding a job as a camera tester! When we meet in May I’ll tell you about my luck with tape recorders. Thanks for the photos of the old BR diesel locomotives! Rob – I don’t know if 24/7 on calls are legal today, but they were back then in 94. They (SP) explained it this way “You work 8 hrs, have 8 hrs off, work 8, 8 hrs off, work 8, 8 hrs off, etc.”I didn’t mind upgrading my position, because I wanted to get back to a job as an engineer as soon as possible. Thanks for the story on the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway! Kind of amazing such a short line basically managed to survive all those years even if it is as a “short ride” railway today.
Narrow gauge (891 mm).Eric
<personal foto>
A Thursday at the Tavern by the Tracks - a day I'll be away for most of it. So, I'm going to join you with a mugga Joe, pastries ‘n a <light> or <traditional> breakfast before heading out . . .
Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative):
Wednesday - Feb 27th: <all times Central standard>
Page 190 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 12:16 PM: And another mid-day visit from the hills of WVA! While winter seems to be unwilling to depart your digs, we're expecting a warming trend through the weekend - 60s (F) by Sunday. However, Monday it's back to the same-ole - same-ole - "they" call it a wintry mix <translated: slop>! <ugh>
I recall attending a meeting scheduled to discuss shortening the times of . . . meetings! Yeah, no joke. It was "hosted" by a bevy of crackpots from the federal government - thankfully not from the military! Ahhhhhh, how I do NOT miss those times . . . <grin>
Yeah, I was surprised at the purple herald too! <yikes> But over time, my guess is there were many variations for many of the roads "back in the day" . . .
Thanx for the elaboration on your "stats" Post . . . Cleared it up nicely for Moi!
‘Tis truly a shame that so many of the details within the fotos provided by our crew may go unnoticed. Just have to enlarge ‘em - scrutinize ‘em - to fully enjoy ‘em. Good observations - as always!
Appreciate the visit, inclusive chat, quarters ‘n ROUND!
Page 190 - Pete <pwolfe> at 5:11 PM: Enjoyed speaking with you . . . as always, the time seemed to fly by. Glad the old days of telephone toll calls are gone-zo! <grin>
Talk about an "out of place" business - Starbucks in that setting just is as ridiculous as a mustache on the Mona Lisa. BUT, what do I know I'm one of a few <I suppose> who has NEVER frequented those trendy coffee joints . . . <ugh>
Brit diesels appear to be in fine condition ‘n with bright livery at that!
I sent an Email off to a transportatoin organization I belong to in Canada to try and find out if anyone knows whether VIA Rail has plans to keep the Budd consist on at least one of their daily trains to Halifax. My guess is they will NOT.
It isn't unusual for VIA to pull off a Renaissance consist <they operate three trains on the "Ocean" route> for whatever the purpose - maintenance, rework this or that, etc. and replace it with Budd equipment. Fergie told me that the consist was all Budd -<he acknowledged his <fopar> calling them Pullmans <geesh> - and that there only appeared to be the rear dome, no others and about 8 cars total. I found that a bit unusual for that run. Perhaps the rail travel has fallen off with the advent of the Renaissance cars. I've read it to be so . . . really put the damper on the travel for those wanting berths instead of bed rooms and of course no more single rooms.
Great trade-off for the college crowd <of which there are many> . . . also for those who would rather not ride in coach, but would like to save a few bucks by avoiding the double bedroom prices. Yeah, great trade-off to go from Budd to Renaissance . . .<barf>
Many thanx for the fine Post, chat, fotos ‘n ROUND!
Page 190 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 8:06 PM 'n 8:18 PM: Two Posts from our Resident Ontario Connection - one in the form of an inclusive chat, the other a rerun . . .
All the rolling stock, locos, structures, figures 'n vehicles on the S-Capades are S-scale - 1/64th.
Speculation regarding the Budd cars on the "Ocean" is most probably due to the required work to make 'em accessible . . . no sure though. I've contacted CanadaT2000 'n hope to get an answer. VIA hasn't been very much help . . .
Nice of you to offer some aid to Mike with his <tweeting> punishment . . . <grin>
The high-speed link we have thru our cable company "works" well, but it doesn't "deliver" at the rate advertised. Still, I'm far better off than when on dial-up . . . technology marches on, eh
Enjoyed your comments 'n visit!
Thursday - Feb 28th: <all times Central standard>
Afternoon all-just stopping in for some lunch on my way to the produce market in advance of tonight.
Better have a pint of strong tea and a couple of bacon sarnies please Ruth and here`s a handful of change for the juke-jar
Right,as promised,some catch up-some of this is about two weeks old ,so apologies if it comes across as even more disjointed than usual................
MIKE-wonderful maps -the Ontario one covers the whole of my S.o.B line route and the Brit one misses my home turf by an ace--In another life I would like to be a cartographer,a very satisfying job I have always felt.....
DL-Hope the Brecon trip lived up to expectations-interesting footnote re Tom Rolt & Kerr Stuart-I understand the Corris Rly up north have built a Kerr-Stuart `Tattoo` class from scratch-some dedication there......
CM3-Unfiltered will do it every time -also-beerholder,as ever the lean elegance of a classic haiku.....music-I have you down as a mandolin player for some reason-anywhere close ??
TOM-Like ROB,Gordon Lightfoot always works for me ,Have been enjoying the `S` Capades write up-very nice work on those building kits ,that MoPac geep looks well as well...
Having studied the track plan I see it actually allows for rather more complex operation than at first appears........
The tunnel portals look to be raised-is this to compensate for the extra height of the roadbed track system ??--Looking forward to catching up with this weeks installment
ROB-Nice pix of the very spiffy looking #103 and the good ole` #503 (with the T.E.E train cars to the rear I note )
PETE-A whole slew of great pix from your end of the bar-will have to play catch up again just to comment on those -very fine -On the matter of accents,I assume that most people are so used to the B.B.C `received pronounciation`that anything else throws them-round here they not only have impenetrable accents,with all sorts of odd dialect words,but a language that sounds like the dawn chorus in a bronchial ward and according to rumour,uses the same word for Englishman,stranger & enemy -go figure
ERIC-Yes,Welsh black beef makes fine eating-is a compact breed (about chest height on me)originally with a good size horn(usually polled to prevent injuries when kept in barns )
Has been raised in these parts since the days of the Dragon boats -thrives on the rich grassland that makes up the coastal plain and much of the interior.
TOM-Food-actually we do eat this kind of stuff quite often-one of the bonuses of living here is that one is surrounded by top quality locally produced ingredients-for example,our local farm shop raises and butchers all it`s own meat (including rare breeds) and stocks everything from honey to onions with a big map on the wall showing where every item in the shop was sourced from.
Our fish & shellfish will hold it`s own with anything you could find elsewhere and is best purchased from small vans in the carparks of waterfront pubs-or better still-hop in the boat and lets see if they are biting.........................P.S-enjoyed nostalgia#68 and those country songs are a must-do for the 17th
Right-thats me out of time for now,to market,to market to buy a fat pig (so to speak)-be productive and have fun-later
Nick
P.S--progress report from the train shed-close examination of the wiring suggests that it will be quicker to tear out the whole loom and start from scratch-thats 3 cabs feeding about 20 sections,plus about a dozen colour light signals,half a doz. semaphores,about a dozen remote turnouts plus the turn-table and loco yard-should be a busy week or two....................
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; Coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. Still cold here and we got another 2" of "scattered clouds" last night.
Pete was by with general comments and pictures.
Rob stopped in with a good rerun of Canadian material.
Eric - Yep 24/7 8 on, 8 off. The folks wonder about accidents because of sleep deprivation. I enjoyed the picture of the narrow gauge car.
Nick posted right with mine. My youngest does guitar stuff, I used to play trombone yrs back - big band stuff, swing, etc., but I have a great love for string band and traditional music - wherever its from. Good luck with the wiring. I hope the benchwork is high enough so you're not having to solder overhead. When I had a working layout, it was modular and I wired everything before putting the modules together. Love that old phone co. stuff with the color coding. Made things a lot easier as I kept a wiring chart as I went along. Leraned years ago never to rely on memory when going that sort of thing.
OSP was by with Grafix Clasix for the day - good selection of advertising material.
The following is from a Wabash item which appeared in 1950. It has been lightly edited for punctuation and continuity. Enjoy!
"The Wabash Railroad's new streamliner, the Blue Bird, was placed in service in February 26 [1950]. The equipment of this new train consists of six cars: a coffee-shop club car, three dome coaches, a diner, and a dome parlor observation car. Interior decorations include large oil paintings depicting scenes of historical importance in the area traveled. The outstanding feature of the Blue Bird is the observation domes on the three dome coaches and the dome observation parlor car.
More than two years in construction, the new train will accommodate a total of 382 passengers in three dome coaches and in the dome parlor car. Composed of six cars powered by a 2,000 horsepower Diesel electric locomotive, the new train will leave St. Louis in the morning, daily, arriving in Chicago in the early afternoon. The return trip will leave Chicago in the early evening. This new streamliner will maintain a daily schedule between St. Louis and Chicago making the trip in slightly more than five hours.
Mechanical safety devices with which the train is equipped, include a tail light which automatically flashes on when the streamliner slows to speeds of 20 miles per hour or less. Red in color, this light moves in a figure-8 pattern.
Other features include folding stainless steel handrails in the vestibule of each car, and a radio-public address-wired music communication system. An unusual feature of this system is the pre-tuned radio which tunes in one broadcasting station as soon as the other fades out due to distance covered."
I don't about you, but I'm ready to go. BTW, there is a nice color shot of the dome obs in Steam, Steel and Limiteds. Have a good one.
Back from a rather exhausting round of things to do . . . but home safely 'n perhaps not so sound!
On a brighter note, we had a "bonus" of sorts from our long-time friend over in west Wales - Nick! Can't recall the last time we saw you at 9 AM (Central) - but of course very pleased that you made it in.
Received an Email from Allan <Gunneral> who said the RR BOOK RELAY 2007-08 arrived in his mail box on the 28th <his time> which was yesterday for us. Confused Anyway, progress report appreciated!
Just a few Posts to catch up on . . . before getting back to my routine 'round the Haus:
Page 190 - Nick <nickinwestwales) at 9 AM: Sounds to me as if you're slowly digging out of that catch-up hole that is so easy to fall into when gone for a bit . . . one good thing for you is that we've been rather slow 'round here for the past coupe of weeks, so the digging out shouldn't be that difficult!
A great feature about conversing with this crew is to learn about the lives you lead, places you go 'n things about your particular corner of the world. Sounds to me as if your location is well suited for the things you like to do <incluidng cooking 'n eating!> . . . Sure would be a great treat to someday visit your area . . . But ya know, the sand is running out of the glass - that's the reality of it all. Too many places to go 'n so little time . . . <arrrrrgggggghhhhhh>
Best places I ever encountered for fresh shell fish was Boston 'n the Tidewater area of southern Virginia. Ummmmmmm, just makes my mouth water to think about those sea food feasts we'd have "back in the day." I recall coming home with a sack of lobsters - paying a buck a pound at a roadside stand just a wee bit north of Boston . . . then down in Virginia, it was oysters 'n clams by the ton from the fishermen who thought highly of what we did <and the way we did it> . . . Again, makes my mouth water . . .
Glad to learn that you're back in the swing of things with the model railroad - a great hobby 'n one that should be a diversion rather than a labor . . . I've found that in spite of periods of getting away from my Can-Am trainroom <and there have been many> when I do resume the activities - it's a great pleasure. Hope the same applies to you!
Appreciate the visit - contribution to our Coal Scuttle <aka: juke jar> 'n the company!
Page 190 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 9:28 AM: Blue Bird material is top shelf - always! Would've loved to have had the opportunity to travel that fine dome train to Chicago 'n back. With a consist like that, Pete 'n I would be living aboard . . .
I doubt that pre-tuned radio system worked quite as advertised . . . but one has to tip the cap for innovativeness, eh
Once again, appreciate the visit, chat, quarters 'n ROUND!
Later <maybe>!
A pint of Bathams please RUTH
ROB Yes it is a bit of a shock to see the Starbucks in that location, I think Tom summed it up well.
It would be good if those Budd cars were on the Halifax run during the summer after traveling on the Budd cars on the Gaspe run, I would much rather travel in them than the Renaissance ones.
Many thanks for the Huntsville & Lake of Bays classic steam encore. A short but very steeply graded line that must have been fun to ride, loved the bit where, after two attempts up the grade, the passengers were given the option of walking. I wonder if the two original Saddle Tanks, sold to the American collector, are in working order today.
ERIC The 0-6-0 tender locomotive was a very popular design in the UK. It was in service on British rails from the early 1840s right up to 1967. In 1924, the newly formed LMS, introduced another 580 4F 0-6-0s based on the Midland Railway design of 1911. The last 0-6-0 tender locomotives introduced were the Southern Railway's class Q1 introduced as late as 1942.
The Swedish State Railways, it seems, was a lot more sensible than BR with its steam locos. The last one built by BR was in 1960 and standard gauge steam had all gone off the BR network in August 1968.
It is a long while since I have had a Starbucks coffee but I think it was OK, I always drink hot tea at home.
Those are good figures for the increase of passengers from road to rail. There was another effect that was said to lead to a big increase of passengers, that was the ‘Sparks Effect' when a line was electrified.
Many thanks for the photo of the narrow gauge car, do you know what railway the BLJ was.
NICK Glad you are enjoying the photos. I will have to have a look at the slides and see what I have from the 1970s, those South Wales collieries are in there, I have only got a very few as the weather was very dull but it was great seeing the tank engines doing work they had done for many years and still doing it after steam had finished on BR.
I once heard a tale many years ago of some fairly elderly ladies who went to one of the smaller towns in North Wales on holiday. The found a Bingo night was on in the Village Hall, great they thought, bought some tickets and sat down ready to play only to find the numbers called out in Welsh.
Good luck with the work on the layout
CM3 Many thanks for the Wabash's Blue Moon. I see today the Amtrak schedule is about 5 and a half hours Chicago to St Louis. I guess the red light on the rear of the train was a Mars light that we talked about at the bar quite a while back.
TOM Very good advice on the photos at Our Place, the details that can be seen on them when they are enlarged are very well worth doing.
Loved the quote about the Mona Lisavery well put, when we first saw the shop there, it was hard to believe.
It would be good if you do get some information on the Budd cars on the Ocean. I wonder if VIA Rail now wish they had spent the money on ether giving the Budd cars a through renovation or ordering new Budd cars than spending the money on the renaissance cars.
A couple of photos taken at Garsdale on the Settle & Carlisle line on a cold Pennine day. A steam special hauled by ex LMS 4-6-2 No 46203 Princess Margerate Rose takes on water after the 10 mile 1% grade near the summit of the S&C. 46203 was a regular through Rugby in BR days but was never in BR Maroon as shown here.
Well RUTH a round please and the Fish 'N' Chip as I am off to Pat's Place a bit later.
Pete.
All right RUTH another quick Bathams.
TOM Just caught your post.
The book seemed to reach Allan in good time I hope he enjoys the read.
As you say, if those Dome cars were working the St Louis to Chicago route today, as the Blue Moon did in CM3's post, it would certainly get a fair lot of custom from us on day trips.I wonder what time the Blue Moon arrived back in St Louis, it said it left Chicago in the evening.
I guess the only Blue Moon I will get is at Pat's Place tonight.
Good afternoon Mr Leon , I see that you have the bar and glasses all well shined, good thing cause if Nick duplicates last weeks menu the place will be packed Just a keith's at the moment sir gotta save room for the old fish 'n' chips
Eric-Interesting shot of that old narrow gauge passenger car 8 hours on 8 hours off that might just be legal barely.Up here now the crews are supposed to have a minimum of ten hours off after twelve on,on the CN the spare board's everyone's friend.
Nick-Good catch up well written Glad you liked the ONR stuff figured that you would.Too abd that you have to re-wire the whole lot but hey you didn't lacerate anything re-stringing the guitars so you should be in good shape ( fingerwise ) for this project.
Pete-I'm with you and Tom the ole Budd cars are the far superior ride.I ahve to say though I'm no fan of starbuck's anything, the coffee's strong enough to remove rust from metal and paint from the walls
Here's extra visuals for you. Imagine if you will those passengers having to walk back, the men would ahve been in three piece suits (likely) and the women in those long long hoop skirts that were envogue at the time, not to mention the giant hats and parasols.From what I understand those original locmotives were bought by an industry of some sort,I imagine that they have long disapeared into locomotive heaven.
Tom-Good to hear that you survived the days trials.It maybe slow but it's still nice to see that all that care are still plugging along,and we are filling in during the daylight hours,time gaps or no the registers are still ringing
Hopefully T2000 will give you an answer, though sometimes they can be a day short and a dollar late as well. I imagine that you will find that the consist was switched as a maintenance cycle,also as large of trains liely are not needed on those runs in January and Feb.
Always glad to help who were tweeted,health and saftey and all that if for no other reason.
CM3-Interesting info the Wabsah as always a good read
Well Leon set em up another round on me for da boyz yes Boris ring the bell, please make sure that the critters are well taken care of and watered as well.A small PPF is there for yourself too.
Till later
Hi Tom and all,
Leon, the usual round of Tui`s for all the crew please!
Rob. See we were in around the same time again, enjoyed your interesting write up Classic Steam #21 on the Huntsville and Lake of Bays` Ry. It`s amazing to think that back in the old days` we never seemed to get away with any wrongs` we did, I always seemed to get caught red handed most times, it appears that we have too many "bleeding hearts" around nowadays`
Eric. Received your parcel containing Pete`s book yesterday afternoon, Thursday Feb 28th NZ time, thanks very much for that, it only took 6 days in transit. Nice snowey shot of the Swedish 4-6-2 steam loco, and of that narrow gauge passenger car.
Fergie. Some nice shots` of your new caboose`s and the Gorham Rail Exhibit, was that yourself in the loco shot?
Pete. Some nice shots` of the BR Class 58, 47`s and 31 diesel loco`s, LMS #46203 and a rather unique pic of that Starbucks coffee shop in Canterbury, where will they pop up next! As you have found out i`ve received your Red for Danger book now and started in on it last night. I think that the "Toon" will have to go into plan B mode from now on and start out fresh next season!
Nick. Your mentioning Brecon takes me back to the early 50`s when I was stationed at Sennybridge artillery ranges prior to going to Hong Kong, we had to climb the Brecon Beacons carrying full gear as part of our training, HK is fairly mountainous, it was quite an experience as the SAS use the same climbs for their current training nowadays!
CM3. Was in with an interesting write up on the Wabash`s Blue Bird passenger train and other info.
Tom. I agree with you totally about Victor Borge, he was a great artist with the piano as well as his humour, it was amazing how he would start playing a tune and end up combining several other tunes` with it. Enjoyed all the great pics of the building of your S-Capades RR and the 6 pack of RR adverts of the Classic era. Many thanks for your latest e-mail, I was surprised to get the book from Eric so soon, it`s taken about the same time as our parcels take from the UK.
See Ya, Allan
Well-Bonsoir mes amis..........
O.K-I give up-I cant do the whole menu in french-not without a lot of research anyway...
Right then-in English:
Starters:- Soup of yesterday (!)-Mulligatawny with fresh baked soda-bread roll
Linguini with Cleddau prawns & oysters with a cream,white wine and garlic sauce
Lamb Samosa`s with hot lime pickle & green salad with mint raita
Local sausage platter-with fried onions & mushrooms and oven fresh baguettes
Mains-well its thursday so I guess I should lead with fish dishes--lets take a moment here--
hmmmmm---------
O.K-Grilled red snapper on a bed of rice & peas with chilli & mango salsa
Trout roman style-stuff with mushrooms & caviar,cover with butter and honey and bake
thick chunks of atlantic cod in a light beer batter with mushy peas and home fries
and some meat-how about a crown roast of lamb with red wine & redcurrant sauce...
or-a plate of grilled mixed chops with a tray of dips
or-pick a steak from the 5 on offer,cooked to order
all with vegetable platter and pomme de jour........
Chicken Bhuna with herb & garlic naans & king prawn biriani......lovely
well well-looks like we have just had a late delivery-anybody fancy middle cut of skate in a light black butter sauce or..what else have we got here-ah yes ,a side or two of nice plump bass-yes,we will have them on next
ok-enjoy-!!
nick
Good evening again Leon. [diner] Is on to be sure.Nick , you have managed to out do last week I have to have the late skate edition oh what the heck a piece of the red snapper as well. Boris is espeacialy enjoying the caviar,good thing we pumped out the septics last week
Allan-Ah yes we do seem to be arriving at the same time ( but not really ) lately. Glad you liked the LOB right up, The whole Muskoka region of Ontario is something to see lakes rocks small charming towns, the Canadian Shield in it's splendor topped off by Algonquin Park over 100,000 hectres of prime wooded forest's and lakes which are the Provinces largest park,a and it has tracts of white and black spruce trees that are essentially primevil and protected in perpetuity from logging most off them over 100 feet high!
Yes I aggree with all the bleeding hearts I too never got away with anything when I was younger,different times then only one parent had to work,I think that more than anything is a major contributor to today's problems.
So another streetcar story for everyone.This one Fergie will even find interesting
CLASSIC JUICE #37 THE HALIFAX STREETCAR SYSTEM
Halifax is one of the older cities in North America being founded in 1749 by Britsh general Edward Cornwallis. ( For many years Canada's armed forces personel took their basic training at CFB Cornwallis located along the waterfront )It was also in 1749 that Halifax became the capitol of the Colony of Nova Scotia and not supprisingly a major British naval base due to it's deep natural harbour, the second largest natural harbour on the continent next to Norfolk VA .
Urban transportation was an early concept in Halifax, as there was a great need to keep people and products moving to and from the harbour area.The first animal powered tramway started up in 1866,serving the city of 22,000.This new form of transit was well recieved by the population and this original Halifax City Railway Company continued to expand and by 1890 they ran 6 routes serving most of the city.
As with most cities the day's of the horse drawn transit were ending and by march of 1895 the Halifax Electric Tramway Company was incorporated.Fourteen single truck cars were ordered from Rhodes,Curry& Company, which was located in nearby Amherst NS ( a horescar and stagecoach builder primarily )this was also the oldest predessesor of Canadian Car and Foundry .Electric service began in jan of 1896 and operations were expanded as the city grew.
One tragic event almost ended the company early on. The Great Halifax explosion of 1917 reduced alot of the streetcar overhead and poles to rubble,10 of the cars were either destroyed or severly damaged and many tramway employees were among the killed and wounded.However maritimers are a hearty lot, and soon the damage was repaired and the streetcar operations continued.By the end of the First World War , a number of significant changes occured, the first was a company name change to The Nova Scotia Tramway's and Power Co.The first task the new company faced was the replacement of the worn out cars which logged many extra miles during the war. The second significant change occured when the companies management were reviewing their options,they decided upon single truck Birney's, and promptly ordered 24 of the single truckers from the St Louis Car Company.These numbered cars 100-123, all were delivered in 1920.In 1926 a further four were ordered from the Ottawa car Company, numbers 134-137.These 28 cars were the only new cars to be purchased by the company.At this time the route miliage was at it's height, 8 routes and 48 miles of trackage.
Now Nova Scotia,along with BC New Brunswick and NFLD all operated motor vehicles on the left side of the road as in Britain.In 1923 the Province changed to right hand running to comply with the rules of the rest of North America.Converting the remaing older wooden cars was simple but the brand new Birney's being all metal were a more challenging and more expensive job.However the task was completed and all cars were operating on the right hand side of the road by the end of the year.
The years 1926-27 saw the tramway add 18 more Birney's to the fleet finally retiring the rest of the old wooden cars.Ten of these were second hand and came from the United Railway's aand Electrical company of Baltimore, and eigth ex Toronto Civic Birney's purchased from the TTC .The Birney fleet continued to grow through purchases of used cars, until it reached a total of 82 the last of which were picked up during World War two.
Again the heavy wartime usage of the cars and the hilly terrain of the city itself war down the little cars and their trackage and overhead,wartime shortages ment that new cars and overheaad could not be purchased till after the war.Once again management was faced with the daunting task of rebuilding again, although trackage amd overhead would be included in this bill as well.Instead of new streetcars PCC's were too big for the clearances on the tramway with out major modifications.They opted for Brill trolley coaches and purhased 87 of them from Canadian Car and Foundry.These electric busses were delivered bewteen 1948 and 1954,including six Pullman Standard ones bought from Providence Rhode Island. March 26th 1949 the last Birney operated downtown car 177 with the trolley coaches taking over most of the downtown routes. The Final final last run was carried out by car 157 on april 30th. The trolley coaches ran until 1969 when the electrics were finally abandoned,10 were sold to Toronto for conversion to the more modern Flyer style for that city and served until TTC ended electric trolleybus service in the mid 1980's.
Two tidbits of interest.
One of the EX TTC EX Toronto Civic Birney's in the bright Halifax livery
Good morning Captain Tom and all present!!
Leon, is there any Welsh black beef left? Okay, I'll try it. Medium, please! A baked potatoe and a cold Keith's.
Finally time to sit down and relax a little bit.
Tom – I checked VIA’s web site and if I understand their info correctly there will be a dome car at the end of the train (the Ocean) from mid-June until mid-October. They call it the Easterly class. See this link:http://www.viarail.ca/classes/en_serv_clas_tour_aloc.html#observation_deckYeah, I missed that link! Thanks for posting it again! You are right about model railroads and good layouts! One will always find more details every time you see it. That also shows that one can’t expect too much correct info from a witness. Nick – Welsh black beef?! I’ll remember that just in case I get back to the UK some time in the future! I am glad to see that you included “some meat” in your menu! Lamb? Hmmm, it tastes more like a mitten, doesn’t it? I’ll take the steak (Welsh black).CM3 – You are right about 8 on and 8 off and sleep deprivation! Thanks for the info on the Blue Bird! 2,000 hp and only six cars. Must have been a pretty quick train! Did that figure-8 pattern of the tail light mean anything in particular? I mean, did the pattern itself mean Stop or something else? Pete – So there were a number of 0-6-0 tender locos in the UK. I still can’t recall I have seen any. I have to check my books. My memory is very good but very short, 0.2 seconds. The only times I have had Starbucks coffee have been at Chicago’s O’Hare airport waiting for connecting flights out of there. Never heard of the ‘Sparks effect’! But why not?Nice, but cold, photos of the Princess Margerate Rose taking water!Rob – Personally I think 10 hours off is a minimum in order to get enough sleep. That was the rule when I worked for the railroad in the old country. Very interesting article on the Halifax streetcars! All Birney! Did the trolley buses have the same paint scheme as the streetcars, yellow? A Birney.Allan – Glad to hear that the book made it to you! 6 days in transit, I guess that is okay. Do you ever get any snow where you live?
Eric
Friday at the Saloon by the Siding ‘n time for a mugga Joe, pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery ‘n a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board.
Noted that petrol had dropped to $2.90 <rounded> up at "Collusion Corner." However, the talk on the AM dial this day is four dollar gasoline by the summer . . . Maybe the price of mouthwash will come down - paid way more than that for a a1.5 litre bottle! <grin>
Comments from the Proprietor:
What's to say when a UTB who was once "one of us" appears over on "my other Thread" along with a Post on the Forum, but not at the bar It's really beyond trying to figure out . . . Don't want to analyze it - just fuhgedaboudhim!
Page 190 - Pete <pwolfe> at 3:52 PM ‘n 4:05 PM: Don't know if VIA Rail "feels" anything . . . regimes change ‘n they've had some since the purchase of those Chunnel Chuggers. Anyway, they own ‘em ‘n they have to use ‘em . . . pity they decided to make ‘em into long distance cars rather than for the short haul. But what do I know, eh Just a paying customer over the decades . . .
I'll yield to any aficionados regarding the red light at the rear of the Blue Moon . . . of course there had to be a marker, so your presumption is the same as my own.
Always enjoy viewing your personal fotos - I can definitely appreciate the use of color in steam loco ‘n tender livery. Brits knew how to do it!
My 1956 <Aug> copy of The Official Guide of the Railways doesn't list anything for Wabash Blue Moon. Does show Banner Blue.
Domeliner Blue Bird and The Midnight. Train #17 <The Midnight> departed Chicago at 11:29 PM arriving in St. Louis at 6:30 AM.
Train #21 <Blue Bird> departed Chicago at 4:39 PM and arrived in St. Louis at 9:30 PM.
Train #11 Banner Blue left at 11:30 AM and arrived in StL at 4:38 PM.
Round most appreciated along with your inclusive chat!
Page 190 - Rob <trolleyboy> at 4:41 PM: Hmmmmm - there is a stretch on the "Ocean" run in New Brunswick that has been notoriously <PP> for smooth riding. Been that way ever since CN sold off the right-of-way to NBEC <New Brunswick East Coast> . . . anyway, we'd always avoid having dinner at a time when passing through that particular area, was nearly impossible to eat - kinda like being out at sea in rough weather. Anyway, found that Renaissance did in fact ride much better over that stretch.
I think the charm of the Budd equipment isn't so much the ride as the ambiance ‘n space. No doubt about <doot aboot> it, Chunnel Chugger equipment is rather tight and oh so plastic with interior design. Makes you want to move along from the ‘community spaces' - but of course Pete ‘n I didn't! <grin> Until that is we got run out by those movies with kids overtaking the limited seating . . . with TWO service cars in the consist, we had wondered aloud why one couldn't have been used for the movie and the other for the drinking crowd! <grin>
So, what's your with T2000 I've been a member for several years ‘n joined to demonstrate my support for the things they lobby for up your way <Canada>. Wonder how many Canadians do the same for us down here But I digress - I'm in no position to know if or when they've "stepped on it." Just curious . . .
Enjoyed your inclusive banter ‘n ROUND!
Page 190 - Allan <Gunneral> at 6:53 PM: Yeah, the "thing" about people like Victor Borge is that they were <are> indeed entertainers. Not vile pretenders to the title as so many seem
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. Something different this morning - snow, which is according to Old People's MTV, "Not hitting the ground on our area." K9 looked like a buffalo this a.m. - he hates to come in out of it, but then there is breakfast to be cadged from everyone. NOTE: I know it's afternoon, but it took me approx. 4 hrs. to log in.
Pete was by with some more "LMS" pictures. I have a reply to your "Blue Bird" question at the end of this post.
Rob stopped in with Halifax material - all Birneys all the time and BRIGHT yellow ones as well. That yellow reminds me of the Connecticut Company cars.
Allan - I'll be interested to hear what you thins of Red for Danger. It takes 6 days for a letter to get from Buffalo to here and that's not that far - Boris! Put me down - that's all I'm going to say.
Nick - Excellent menu as always.
Eric - The figure-8 on the tail light had to do with visibility - no particular signal to the best of my knowledge.
OSP was in with comments and remarks.
Here's some schedule information regarding the "Blue Bird." This is the schedule from when the train entered service in 1950.
Train 24
Lv. St. Louis - 8:55 a.m.
Lv. Decatur - 11:10 a.m.
Arr. Chicago - 2:05 p.m. (Dearborn Station)
Train 21
Lv. Chicago - 4:45 p.m. (Dearborn Station)
Lv. Decatur - 7:47 p.m.
Arr. St. Louis - 10:10 p.m.
Quick turnaround and the train had better be on schedule as it used one set of equipment.
The Wabash used two stations in St. Louis: Union Station and Delmar. Ad copy for Delmar read:
Use the Convenient Delmar Station in St. Louis
Serving the Great West-End Residential, Hotel, and Business District
Exclusively Wabash.
For those not familiar with Delmar, the building resembled the old Plasticville Union Station for those who remember back that far. It would be most easy to model. Sign on the front read "Delmar Station Wabash Railroad Company."
Ending our second week of daylite doldrums - and who was it that said <several times> "One guy doesn't really make a difference." Yeah, right . . .
Very good to see CM3 Shane drop by for a "nooner" <of sorts>! Wasn't going to Post this until we had at least one customer . . .
Here's something from the archives that is good for a day like this . . . . it was initailly Posted as a B'day Special on a day that was supposed to be a "mini-bash" - but the "bashee" didn't show up! <groan> Guess whose B'day it was <uh oh> No, Boris - it wasn't Leon! <geesh>
<A form of this was initally Posted on Sep 8th, 2006, Page 390 of the Original Thread . . . >
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 trav
I wasn't going to do this . . . but since I seem to have made the 3,800th reply at the bar, figured why not A CONTEST!
WHO will make the 4,000th reply at the bar AND when
It's a two-parter - so be sure to include the name of the person you think will make the Post along with the date!
Duplicate prizes WILL be awarded! Prizes also awarded for correctly naming only one of the parts . . . <whattaguy>
Some help in determining your guesstimates:
3,800th Post <Tom> on Feb 29th, Page 191
3,700th Post <Dan> on Feb 18th, Page 186
3,600th Post <Rob> on Feb 7th, Page 181
3,500th Post <Jan> on Jan 29th, Page 176
3,400th Post <Tom> on Jan 19th, Page 171
3,300th Post <Rob> on Jan 9th, Page 166
P.S. In case anyone has been wondering - we haven't seen Chris <MoPacBarrettTunnel> since Jan 29th or Jan <JanOlov> since Feb 15th . . . but the good thing is they haven't been Posting elsewhere <as several of our UTBs are doing>, which always leaves us with the thought that they may return . . .
ROB I guess when the locomotive did not make up the grade on the Huntsville & Lake of Bays line, the passengers at the top of line had to decide ether to wait for the train to arrive with the next batch of passengers or walk down. It is a shame that the original were scrapped after their industrial service.
Many thanks for the Halifax Streetcar system and a history of the city. I very much enjoyed my visit to Halifax with Tom. It was a large system with 48 miles of track,and it must have quite a task to convert the steel cars to right hand drive in 1923, a similar task Sweden had to do many years later.
As you say the hills must have been hard work on the cars, but I wonder with today's technology, if there was still the streetcars or the trolley coaches, would it be possible to have the cars generate electricity on the downhill sections of the routes and put it back in the supply, saving the amount of the electricity used.
Birney No 164 looks great in the bright Halifax livery
ALLAN Glad the Red for Danger book arrived and I hope you enjoy the read.
Thanks for the kind words on the photos. Looking at the one of 46203 at Garsdale, on the Settle & Carlisle line, reminded me how cold it used to get on the moors there with an Easterly wind blowing on those winter steam tours. I was on one trip with the V2 ‘Green Arrow, when my camera froze up.
I imagine there will be a lot of changes to the ‘Toon' team in the closed season.
NICK Excellent menu from our again. I will have to have the crown roast of lamb, I really miss the lamb Sunday dinners with all the trimmings I used to have in England.
ERIC Yes there was a Starbucks coffee area on the departure side of Birmingham International (UK) airport which had the a very rare smoking area, which must of added to their customers. I believe all public buildings in the UK, by law are smoke free now.
As I said to Allan it could get very cold at Garsdale where the locomotives took water while working the steam specials.
I had a look in a book and in 1955 and on British Railways there were 17 different classes of just ex LNER 0-6-0 tender locomotives on the books.The photo is of one of the last three 0-6-0s to work on BR withdrawn in 1967. BR number then was 65894 a class J27
Many thanks for the Orange Empire Railway Museum streetcar photo.
CM3 Many thanks for the Blue Moon schedule and the information on the Delmar station in St Louis, which I know very little about. I see in Tom's schedule from 6 years later Train 21 had been accelerated by 34 minutes. The Blue Moon would have been a great day trip for some one interested in railroads.
I too wonder about the post especially my stuff from England, a small parcel usually gets here in about 5 to 8 days but the magazines on subscription usual take about 14 or more days. I wonder where they stay just lying about as the transportation across the ‘pond has to about the same time.
TOM Congratulations on the 3,800th post. I will say March 11th and done by Rob.
Unfortunately it seems the Chuggers are here to stay for a while, I have to admit I had a wry smile on the description of' ‘Deluxe', in Eric's link. As you say to Rob, they must lose sales in the service cars, by not having one for just those wanting a quiet drink or talk without the TV.
I think the use of different colors on the British locomotives goes way back to the early days. Before the grouping of 1923 Carlisle station in the north of England was host to 6 different companies. I must have been a colorful sight with the ‘Blackberry Black of the L&NWR, the Blue of the Caledonian, Crimson of the Midland and the different Greens of the North Eastern, North British and Glasgow & South Western engines. I'm afraid I don't know what the colors of the Maryport & Carlisle engines were.
It looks like the Blue Bird was nearest to the timings of the Blue Moon. I would be a great ride on a late spring evening with a 9.30PM arrival in St Louis.
Many thanks for the Lethbridge Viaduct from the Great Railroad Bridges series
Good evening Leon,hmmm a nice medium steak with all the fixin's,and a Keith's as the best brew to wash it down with.
Tom-Aha #3800 to you bit o a slooooow one today but whatchagonnado Nice to see the Lethbridge viaduct bit again To be fair I missed that mini bash due to a computer crash but good to read it anyway.
T2000 isn't in itself a bad orginization but I have issues with groupos that are ,lobbing for things no matter I approve of the things or not.T2000 also tends to be in bed with the NDP which sits kinda sour with me as well,personal preferences I suppose.
Glad that you liked the Halifax piece,fogured you would get a kick from it.
As to the new contest I think Pete will do the deed on the 16th of March
Eric-No the Halifax trolley buses were a sedate creame and green colour,not the nice bright canary yellow.Very similar to the colour of the Birney in the picture you posted with dark green trim.
CM3-Was by with more wabash passenger info The yellow's just about the same as the colour pictures I've seen of the Conn. cars. I wonder if they chose the bright yellow so they could find the cars after a good blizzard.
Pete-Interesting thought. I would think that in todays day and age one could install some sort of storage battery system that could feed power back into the grid. Similar things are done with people that have solar power in their houses,you can feed power back to the city grid and get rebates on your hydro bill.
I aggree with you,Heather and I found those service cars to be a tad to noisy for our likeing as well, that and the alternating of french and english movies <barf> I didn't come accross to many french speakers on our trip,ain't being PC great.
Leon, Friday night (hmm, Saturday morning), it's time for that juicy Filet Mignon with all the extra mushrooms! Medium. A cold Tui, please!
Very quiet day here this Friday. Are people out shoveling snow? We had 84° today, very nice!
Only 75 days to the 3rd Annual Rendezvous!!!
Tom – The reason I linked to VIA’s site was that the photos that was supposed to show the train showed Budd equipment only, with two dome cars. I didn’t know if that was old photos or photos of a westbound train or that they actually planned to run that equipment to the east coast again. I guess it is a westbound train. Thanks for the article on the Lethbridge Viaduct, 1 mile long! I like the photo of the freight train running on top of it! The 4,000th reply? March 21st by Allan! CM3 – That is what I thought it could be, a visibility thing. I guess it was an electric motor that moved the signal. Pete – I remember the day Sweden changed from left hand to right hand traffic! I worked as a bus driver then and drove on the “new” side the first day. I checked and the Swedish State Railways actually had one class of 0-6-0 locomotives with tender. It was class Kd from 1901. But the rest of the 0-6-0’s were all tank locomotives. Rob – I think the streetcars in Halifax had a better looking paint scheme than the trolley buses! North of the Arctic Circle.
Saturday is ENCORE! - and - Photo Posting Day!
Reminder: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays.
<Save the new material for Monday thru Friday - this is ENCORE! day . . . >
The beginning of a new month 'n it's also Saturday morning at the Bar by the Ballast - always a good time to enjoy a relaxing start to the weekend! Coffee's ready - pastries freshly baked ‘n of course our Menu Board brimming with good things to order!
CONTEST UNDERWAY!
3,800th reply <Tom> on Feb 29th, Page 191
3,700th reply <Dan> on Feb 18th, Page 186
3,600th reply <Rob> on Feb 7th, Page 181
3,500th reply <Jan> on Jan 29th, Page 176
3,400th reply <Tom> on Jan 19th, Page 171
3,300th reply <Rob> on Jan 9th, Page 166
Participants thus far:
(1) Pete sez Rob on Mar 11th <you may wish to rethink that date . . . . check the help section . . .>
(2) Rob sez Pete on Mar 16th
(3) Eric sez Allan on Mar 21st
CONTEST CLOSES on Friday, March 7th. So let's get those cabooses in gear!
Friday - Feb 29th: <all times Central standard>
Page 190 - CM3 Shane <coalminer3> at 12:09 PM: Lunchtime visit appreciated . . .
We used to have great fun with our late-best-furry-faced-friend-Fred <Siberian Husky> who would remain tethered outdoors in snowstorms until covered - and I mean covered. We'd look for a "lump" in the snow, ‘n there he'd be - blue eyes looking up at you - happy as a "clam" or I should say - Husky!! <grin> Dogs are great friends . . . they are faithful beyond description ‘n require no more than love in return . . .
We're heading into a spring weekend - even got the first of the pre-emergent down this afternoon. Awwwww, but come Monday, "they" say we're due for more <slop>.
Enjoyed eavesdropping your comments - thanx for the quarters ‘n ROUND!
Page 191 - Pete <pwolfe> at 4:17 PM: Another ridiculously slow day lite experience at the Tavern by the Tracks . . . however, with you ‘n CM3 Shane brightening up the afternoon, all's not lost <yet>
Don't know if you ever were answered - but here's some help with "coulee" . . .
-noun 1.Chiefly Western U.S. and Western Canada. a deep ravine or gulch, usually dry, that has been formed by running water. 2.a small valley. 3.a low-lying area. Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! An adult bar 'n grill for the discussion of Classic Trains! Posted by siberianmo on Saturday, March 1, 2008 9:18 AM Saturday is ENCORE! - and - Photo Posting Day!Reminder: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays. <Save the new material for Monday thru Friday- this is ENCORE! day . . .> Now arriving on track #1 ..... Railroads from Yesteryear! Number Eight <A form of this was initally Posted on Page 259, 28 Feb 2006 on the Original Thread>Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. Material NOT corroborated. Northern Pacific Railway Locale: Ashland, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, Tacoma, Washington and Portland, Oregon Reporting marks: NP Dates of operation: 1864 - 1970 Track gauge: 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Headquarters: Minnesota (copied from public domain) A Northern Pacific train travels over Bozeman Pass, June 1939. The Northern Pacific Railway (AAR reporting mark NP) was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in St. Paul, Minnesota. History The Northern Pacific was chartered on July 2, 1864 as the first northern transcontinental railroad. It was granted some 47,000,000 acres (190,000 km²) of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory. Josiah Perham (for whom Perham, Minnesota is named) was elected its first president on December 7, 1864. For the next six years, backers of the road struggled to find financing. Though John Gregory Smith succeeded Perham as president on January 5, 1866, groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Thompson Junction, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota. The backing and promotions of famed Civil War financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. Over the course of 1870, the Northern Pacific pushed westward from Minnesota into present-day North Dakota. It also began reaching from Kalama, Washington Territory, on the Columbia River outside of Portland, Oregon, towards Puget Sound. Four small construction engines were purchased, the Minnetonka, Itaska, Ottertail and St. Cloud, the first of which was shipped to Kalama by ship around Cape Horn. In Minnesota, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad completed construction of its 155 mile (250 km) line stretching from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Lake Superior at Duluth in 1870. It was leased to the Northern Pacific the following year, and was eventually absorbed by the Northern Pacific. In 1871, Northern Pacific completed some 230 miles (370 km) of railroad on the east end of its system, reaching out to Moorhead, Minnesota, on the North Dakota border. In the west, the track extended 25 miles north from Kalama. Surveys were carried out in North Dakota protected by 600 troops from General Winfield Scott Hancock. Headquarters and shops were established in Brainerd, Minnesota, a town named for the President John Gregory Smith's wife Anna Elizabeth Brainerd. In 1872, the company put down 164 miles (264 km) of main line across North Dakota, with an additional 45 miles (72 km) in Washington. On November 1, General George Washington Cass became the third president of the company. Cass had been a vice-president and director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and would lead the Northern Pacific through some of its most difficult times. Attacks on survey parties and construction crews building into Native American homelands in North Dakota became so prevalent the company appealed for Army protection from President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1872 the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Europe, seeking to attract settlers to the sparsely populated and undeveloped region it served. Survey parties accompanied by Federal troops, railroad construction, permanent settlement and development, along with the discovery of gold in nearby South Dakota, all served as a backdrop leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the defeat of General George Armstrong Custer in 1876. In 1873, Northern Pacific made impressive strides before a terrible stumble. Rails from the east reached the Missouri River on June 4. After several years of study, Tacoma, Washington, was selected as the road's western terminus on July 14. However, for the past three years the financial house of Jay Cooke and Company had been throwing money into the construction of the Northern Pacific. Like many western transcontinentals, the staggering costs of building a railroad into a vast wilderness were drastically underestimated. For a variety of reasons, led by the costs of constructing the railroad itself, Cooke and Company closed its doors on September 18. Soon, the Panic of 1873 engulfed the United States, ushering in a severe recession which would drag on for several years. The Northern Pacific, however, survived bankruptcy that year, due to austerity measures put in place by President Cass. In fact, working with last-minute loans from Director John Commiger Ainsworth of Portland, the Northern Pacific completed the line from Kalama to Tacoma, 110 miles (177 km), before the end of the year. On December 16, the first steam train arrived in Tacoma. The year of 1874, however, found the company moribund. Northern Pacific slipped into its first bankruptcy on June 30, 1875. Cass resigned to become receiver of the company, and Charles Barstow Wright became fourth president of the company. Frederick Billings, namesake of Billings, Montana, formulated a reorganization plan which was put into effect. This same year George Custer was assigned to Fort Rice, Dakota Territory, and charged with protecting railroad survey and Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! An adult bar 'n grill for the discussion of Classic Trains! Posted by siberianmo on Saturday, March 1, 2008 11:26 AM Saturday is ENCORE! - and - Photo Posting Day!Reminder: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays. <Save the new material for Monday thru Friday- this is ENCORE! day . . .> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2008 BIRTHDAY WATCH LIST <rev. Mar 1st>ACTIVE Customers at "Our" Place January 14th (Eric - 65) OKRA (Dec 22 - Jan 20) Are tough on the outside but tender on the inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. You can do something good each day if you try. You go well with most anyone. January 23rd (Jan - 39) - Legion of the Lost! January 26th (Chris - 40) - Legion of the Lost! CHITLIN (Jan 21 - Feb 19) Chitlins come from humble backgrounds. A Chitlin, however, will make something of himself if he is motivated and has lots of season-ing. In dealing with Chitlins, be careful they may surprise you. They can erupt like Vesuvius. Chitlins are best with a Moon Pie but Catfish or Okra is O.K. too. March 5th (Nick - 48) - NEXT UP!! March 31st (Lars - 68) - Gone but not forgotten!MOON PIE (March 21 - April 20) You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. A cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. A Chitlin would be a good mate but it's not going to be easy. You always have a big smile and are happy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Maybe not. May 18th (Tom - 70) POSSUM (April 21 - May 21) When confronted with life's difficulties, possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a don't-bother-me-about- it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy but seems to work for you. You are a rare breed. Most folks love to watch you work and play. You are a night person and mind your own business. You should definitely marry an Armadillo. August 11th (Pete - 57) August 14th (Allan - 73)CATFISH (July 24 - Aug 23) Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, although one's whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You Catfish are never easy people to understand. You run fast. You work and play hard. Even though you prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life, you are liked by most. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies. Happy Railroading! Siberianmo nickinwestwales Member sinceApril 2005 901 posts Posted by nickinwestwales on Saturday, March 1, 2008 9:10 PM Well good evening Leon-you might want to pop out the back and have a little word with Boris-looks like his family party out in the yard has broken down along both sides of the cultural/religious divide and are well dug in at at least four different locations,three of which were shooting at each other when I crept in................Another fine saturday night at the Bar in the ballast -looks like a lively night in the pool-room..good to see the track gang getting their ladies involved-just keep that wet T-shirt thing away from the amps please guys....thank you....!O.K-Yes you are right Leon-best by far to leave them all to it and relax in good company....Right-whose for a drink -I`m in the chair,I sold a guitar today so I`m in funds for once .....Please excuse the late arrival,I`ve been wandering through my photobucket file,having been able to access it tonight after 2 months of `file not found` type nonsense -now all I have to do is remember how to transfer them here-and enlarge....Well-have started on the re-wire-soldered up a couple of joints,drilled a few holes for dropper wires,hooked up a wee section so I can run a works train around to maintain momentum...first job-and its a bit of a nasty-is to solder all the droppers from the common rail-the outside one --this will prolly mean using a mirror cos you just cant get into those corners without standing on the benchwork-which would take it although the infrastructure wouldn`t--am gonna try and completely avoid underboard soldering by using those multi-block screw fix connectors-they have that handy hole in the web for fixing to the board -anything is worth a try if it doesn`t involve lying on my back dodging blobs of molten lead .........unfortunately work was curtailed by family duties but the symbolic gesture has been made-a train has run a short way with power supplied by newly made connections.......-Now lets do a proper job-cos to be honest,the wiring as it was , was a nightmare-can do better,as my school reports used to say Hmmm-perhaps the early night for me-I feel my mind wandering-Leon-drinks for the gentlemen please-and a tray of snacks please-its about that time---right-a quick foray to Herr Wurlitzer..about $5 worth should do-then I shall pop outside for a quick ciggie and see if the double vision clears-if so ,back to it-if not,go home now..........See you soon chaps trolleyboy Member sinceMay 2014 3,727 posts Posted by trolleyboy on Saturday, March 1, 2008 10:07 PM Good evening gents. Leon I see you survived the imprompto Boris family follies out back,does not look like any major damage was done and only one platoon of the fusiliers was required to break the party up.right with that said I think a large tankard of guiness and here's some for a round for the Brave fusiliers,whats that Boris Oh I see, your favourite dolly got hit by a stray musket ball,I'm sure that it's nothing a rubber inner-tube patch can't fix.Tom-Ah yes a sloooooow one oh well we shall over come ( we have before at any rate )Nice re-run on the Espee ! Last year it would have been hit by many a response from the left coast.Nice to see three aready putting up their bets on the next contest Thanks for the extra info on the various differences in the VIA consists over the years. here's a question for you,do the Chunnel Chuggers have individual bathrooms in each sleeping compartment on those sleeping cars or are they all shared washrooms My big thing is that alot of what T2000 lobbies for never gets a hearing anywhere but outside their meetings,they have not been overly successfull over the years,mind you lobbying is a much different animal up here than in your country, ie it's not a paid position,it's all volenteer.I imagine that most groups like it and the one you chaired end up with alot of internal baggage <barf> which is why I don't put much faith in them,too much infighting makes the orginization less effective in my humble thoughts .Eric-Yes the Halifax Birney paint job was much nicer than the bus one.Wow any kind of training given you guys before the sides of the road were changed,I can't imagine it ws an easy transition. Neat shot of that snow bound train Nick-Hope you survived running the gauntlet back out past Boris's entrenched cousins,or did you get out after the Fusiliers broke up the party with a couple well placed volley'sGood news on the sale and the first baby steps of your re-wiring thanks for the round as well. I saw that Helga won the wet T-shirt contest I also noted that the local pshyc hospital is offering free consulting to all who saw that particular spectacleRight Leon another round if you please,I need to wash away the thought of Helga's win,yes I know Boris was to happy during the contest I aggree <uh oh >Rob « First«124125126127128129130»Last » SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more! 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1.
Chiefly Western U.S. and Western Canada. a deep ravine or gulch, usually dry, that has been formed by running water.
2.
a small valley.
3.
a low-lying area. Happy Railroading! Siberianmo
<Save the new material for Monday thru Friday- this is ENCORE! day . . .>
Now arriving on track #1 ..... Railroads from Yesteryear! Number Eight
Northern Pacific Railway Locale: Ashland, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, Tacoma, Washington and Portland, Oregon Reporting marks: NP Dates of operation: 1864 - 1970 Track gauge: 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Headquarters: Minnesota (copied from public domain) A Northern Pacific train travels over Bozeman Pass, June 1939. The Northern Pacific Railway (AAR reporting mark NP) was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in St. Paul, Minnesota. History The Northern Pacific was chartered on July 2, 1864 as the first northern transcontinental railroad. It was granted some 47,000,000 acres (190,000 km²) of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory. Josiah Perham (for whom Perham, Minnesota is named) was elected its first president on December 7, 1864. For the next six years, backers of the road struggled to find financing. Though John Gregory Smith succeeded Perham as president on January 5, 1866, groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Thompson Junction, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota. The backing and promotions of famed Civil War financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. Over the course of 1870, the Northern Pacific pushed westward from Minnesota into present-day North Dakota. It also began reaching from Kalama, Washington Territory, on the Columbia River outside of Portland, Oregon, towards Puget Sound. Four small construction engines were purchased, the Minnetonka, Itaska, Ottertail and St. Cloud, the first of which was shipped to Kalama by ship around Cape Horn. In Minnesota, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad completed construction of its 155 mile (250 km) line stretching from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Lake Superior at Duluth in 1870. It was leased to the Northern Pacific the following year, and was eventually absorbed by the Northern Pacific. In 1871, Northern Pacific completed some 230 miles (370 km) of railroad on the east end of its system, reaching out to Moorhead, Minnesota, on the North Dakota border. In the west, the track extended 25 miles north from Kalama. Surveys were carried out in North Dakota protected by 600 troops from General Winfield Scott Hancock. Headquarters and shops were established in Brainerd, Minnesota, a town named for the President John Gregory Smith's wife Anna Elizabeth Brainerd. In 1872, the company put down 164 miles (264 km) of main line across North Dakota, with an additional 45 miles (72 km) in Washington. On November 1, General George Washington Cass became the third president of the company. Cass had been a vice-president and director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and would lead the Northern Pacific through some of its most difficult times. Attacks on survey parties and construction crews building into Native American homelands in North Dakota became so prevalent the company appealed for Army protection from President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1872 the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Europe, seeking to attract settlers to the sparsely populated and undeveloped region it served. Survey parties accompanied by Federal troops, railroad construction, permanent settlement and development, along with the discovery of gold in nearby South Dakota, all served as a backdrop leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the defeat of General George Armstrong Custer in 1876. In 1873, Northern Pacific made impressive strides before a terrible stumble. Rails from the east reached the Missouri River on June 4. After several years of study, Tacoma, Washington, was selected as the road's western terminus on July 14. However, for the past three years the financial house of Jay Cooke and Company had been throwing money into the construction of the Northern Pacific. Like many western transcontinentals, the staggering costs of building a railroad into a vast wilderness were drastically underestimated. For a variety of reasons, led by the costs of constructing the railroad itself, Cooke and Company closed its doors on September 18. Soon, the Panic of 1873 engulfed the United States, ushering in a severe recession which would drag on for several years. The Northern Pacific, however, survived bankruptcy that year, due to austerity measures put in place by President Cass. In fact, working with last-minute loans from Director John Commiger Ainsworth of Portland, the Northern Pacific completed the line from Kalama to Tacoma, 110 miles (177 km), before the end of the year. On December 16, the first steam train arrived in Tacoma. The year of 1874, however, found the company moribund. Northern Pacific slipped into its first bankruptcy on June 30, 1875. Cass resigned to become receiver of the company, and Charles Barstow Wright became fourth president of the company. Frederick Billings, namesake of Billings, Montana, formulated a reorganization plan which was put into effect. This same year George Custer was assigned to Fort Rice, Dakota Territory, and charged with protecting railroad survey and
2008 BIRTHDAY WATCH LIST
<rev. Mar 1st>
ACTIVE Customers at "Our" Place
January 14th (Eric - 65)
January 23rd (Jan - 39) - Legion of the Lost!
March 5th (Nick - 48) - NEXT UP!!
March 31st (Lars - 68) - Gone but not forgotten!
May 18th (Tom - 70)
August 11th (Pete - 57)
August 14th (Allan - 73)
Well good evening Leon-you might want to pop out the back and have a little word with Boris-looks like his family party out in the yard has broken down along both sides of the cultural/religious divide and are well dug in at at least four different locations,three of which were shooting at each other when I crept in................
Another fine saturday night at the Bar in the ballast -looks like a lively night in the pool-room..good to see the track gang getting their ladies involved-just keep that wet T-shirt thing away from the amps please guys....thank you....!
O.K-Yes you are right Leon-best by far to leave them all to it and relax in good company....Right-whose for a drink -I`m in the chair,I sold a guitar today so I`m in funds for once .....Please excuse the late arrival,I`ve been wandering through my photobucket file,having been able to access it tonight after 2 months of `file not found` type nonsense -now all I have to do is remember how to transfer them here-and enlarge....
Well-have started on the re-wire-soldered up a couple of joints,drilled a few holes for dropper wires,hooked up a wee section so I can run a works train around to maintain momentum...
first job-and its a bit of a nasty-is to solder all the droppers from the common rail-the outside one --this will prolly mean using a mirror cos you just cant get into those corners without standing on the benchwork-which would take it although the infrastructure wouldn`t--am gonna try and completely avoid underboard soldering by using those multi-block screw fix connectors-they have that handy hole in the web for fixing to the board -anything is worth a try if it doesn`t involve lying on my back dodging blobs of molten lead .........
unfortunately work was curtailed by family duties but the symbolic gesture has been made-a train has run a short way with power supplied by newly made connections.......-Now lets do a proper job-cos to be honest,the wiring as it was , was a nightmare-can do better,as my school reports used to say
Hmmm-perhaps the early night for me-I feel my mind wandering-Leon-drinks for the gentlemen please-and a tray of snacks please-its about that time---right-a quick foray to Herr Wurlitzer..about $5 worth should do-then I shall pop outside for a quick ciggie and see if the double vision clears-if so ,back to it-if not,go home now..........See you soon chaps
Good evening gents. Leon I see you survived the imprompto Boris family follies out back,does not look like any major damage was done and only one platoon of the fusiliers was required to break the party up.right with that said I think a large tankard of guiness and here's some for a round for the Brave fusiliers,whats that Boris Oh I see, your favourite dolly got hit by a stray musket ball,I'm sure that it's nothing a rubber inner-tube patch can't fix.
Tom-Ah yes a sloooooow one oh well we shall over come ( we have before at any rate )Nice re-run on the Espee ! Last year it would have been hit by many a response from the left coast.Nice to see three aready putting up their bets on the next contest
Thanks for the extra info on the various differences in the VIA consists over the years. here's a question for you,do the Chunnel Chuggers have individual bathrooms in each sleeping compartment on those sleeping cars or are they all shared washrooms
My big thing is that alot of what T2000 lobbies for never gets a hearing anywhere but outside their meetings,they have not been overly successfull over the years,mind you lobbying is a much different animal up here than in your country, ie it's not a paid position,it's all volenteer.I imagine that most groups like it and the one you chaired end up with alot of internal baggage <barf> which is why I don't put much faith in them,too much infighting makes the orginization less effective in my humble thoughts .
Eric-Yes the Halifax Birney paint job was much nicer than the bus one.Wow any kind of training given you guys before the sides of the road were changed,I can't imagine it ws an easy transition. Neat shot of that snow bound train
Nick-Hope you survived running the gauntlet back out past Boris's entrenched cousins,or did you get out after the Fusiliers broke up the party with a couple well placed volley's
Good news on the sale and the first baby steps of your re-wiring thanks for the round as well. I saw that Helga won the wet T-shirt contest I also noted that the local pshyc hospital is offering free consulting to all who saw that particular spectacle
Right Leon another round if you please,I need to wash away the thought of Helga's win,yes I know Boris was to happy during the contest I aggree <uh oh >
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