Good evening again Leon. Can I grab a Holden's for myself and Pete as we sit and relax in the afterglow of the Emporium's aniversary. Hopefully that glow isn't torches of townsfolk out to linch poor Boris again.
James'I see you snuck back in while I was formatting my B&O piece. Hopefully you won't be away long,but don't come here at the detriment of your marks. We will be here long after you graduate.
Pete-Thank's for that link, I'll check it out in a bit.Keep everything crossed ( eyes fingers etc ) that one of those cars will be running that day. delson tends to be more of a look at then watch run museum, at least it was the last time I was there.I too am looking forward to CM3's report on the red carpet affair down at the emporium. I noticed that the Mentor fusiliers were on hand again. ( crowd control I would imagine )
CM3-I failed to mention you earlier. I enjoyed the B&O dinner report posted this morning. Mea Culpa for not mentioning it before. allow me to but you breakfast tomorrow to make up for the gaff.
Rob
THEME OF THE DAY THEME OF THE DAY THEME OF THE DAY
THE END OF THE B&O MERGER WITH THE C&O
As with many railroads of the time the 1960's were not good to the B&O. It along with some of the other great eastern roads of the past like the NYC and PRR, started the slide towards mergers to continue theuir existance as viable transportation systems in the ever modernizing world.
THE B&O AND C&O
Going against the unions and most of the wishes of many of the eastern roads, the ICC said yes to the merger of the B&O/C&O on new years eve 1962.It was thought that in some quarters this resulting railroad would end up being the strongest one in the east.On Feb 4 1963, the C&O formalized it's control over it's once rival B&O. This change of power took place one minute past midnight and was the moment the ICC approval became a reality. The knot was teid in the B&O's boardroom, fitting I think of the nation's oldest railroad.
thios combined system owned 11,000 miles of track stretching from the Atlantic, to the Mississippi River,and from the Great Lakes to the southern boarder of Kentucky. The B&O railroad obtained loans from C&O's financeers to enhance it's aging locomotive fleet, and to refurbish tunnels , yards and fleet facilities.In march 1968, the ICC approved the aquisition of the Western maryland by the B&O/C&O railway adding this 800 mile regional road to the system.
Over the yeasr after the merhger C&O people slowly replaced the old guard at the B&O with Gregory DeVine assuming the dual presidancies on the death of B&O President Tuohy in 1966.By 1970, the B&O Board included six men that also served on teh C&O board and 94 percent of the B&O was in the holdings of teh C&O.
END OF PASSENGER SERVICE
The B&O's passeneger service had been a long time loser of money and amny lines had alraady been cut back.Yet the federal govt still had not allowed the major interurban carriers like te B&O to shed these money losing services.So the B&O like many other roads continued to hemorrhege cash on passenger service.Once the government decided to form Amtrak, the B&O like many of the rest of the nations railways paid out a lump sum and discontinued their passenger services, leaving them to the federally operated Amtrak.A payment of 29.6 milion was made to the National railroad Passenger Corporation in 1970, and thus freed the B&O/C&O to become all freight operations.
CHESSIE SYSTEM
In 1971 Presidient DeVine, retired and was replaced by Hays Watkins, a C&O man since 1949.President watkins had the name Chessie System adopted as the marketing name for the C&O/B&O/WM conglomorate. The C&O and B&O continued to operate separattly but now shared a common head office in Cleveland.
The name Chessie refers to the C&O's cat logo first used in the early 1930's as a gimmikc for the then C&O's passeneger sevice.The C&O used the kitten sleeping on a blanket in a Fortune mag ad in 1933 and the tag line sleep like a kitten.Thinking originally that Chessie should have a B&O counterpart for ad purposes as well, they came up with "BESSIE" the cat for B&O, but after a shareholders survey they decided that it was not a good idea, so Bessie died on the drawing board.They did however at the time adopt the now famouc C with the cat Silhouette used on their locomotives and ads, adding it to the WM as well once the WM was completely absorbed into teh Chessie System in 1974. At this time the Blue yellow and Vermillion painted locomotives began arriving on scene , with the only notion of the original owners being a B&O, C&) or WM initial under the cab road numbers.
Hi Tom and all.
LEON, Set ROB and I up with two Holden's Golden Glows please.Enjoyed the piece on the Dieselisation of the B&O. I wonder what would have happened on the British railways if they had not been nationalised if some of the companies would have gone for diesels a lot earlier
Oh well I had better get some s
Pete.
I have just seen the latest post I will have a read
Good morning Captain Tom and all!!
A quick stop on... just a black cup of coffee Leon! A quick stop on my way to bed! Why are the evenings so short?
I found a lot of interresting info on Baltimore & Ohio tonight! I have tocome back later an read it all over again!
Tom – A lot of interesting facts and info on B&O!! I have to read it again later this week, when I have more time. I noticed that B&O was incoporated into Chessie System in 1973! Now it is CSX. Considering the mileage, 10,000, in 1963 I am surprised they didn’t have more than 491 locmotives.CM3 – You are right, OSU really screwed up last night’s game! I don’t know what they tried to do. I have a feeling that you are (or have been) working at the railroad. The Power bureau? “Late trains get later”, very true indeed! I loved the job as Road foreman. Thanks for the B7O info! Too bad it is just history today.DL – Interesting link to the Mainline Steam Tour Programme 2007! A lot of alternatives! No chance to get bored.Lars – You are right, I forgot to refresh/reload before I sent my post last night and when I was done I found Rob’s two posts. Nice pictures of B&O locomotives ans Dome car! Plus the book covers! Hope you had a nice evening at the Emporium! Nice place indeed! Pete – I learned something new again! I didn’t know that the design of the A4 was inspired by a Bugatti rail-car. You are right. BR had a number of bad accidents in the 80’s and wanted to do something about it. They came to Sweden and studied the new ATC-system that was being installed there. They liked it and decided to install it on their own lines. But they did not manage to raise enough money to do it. Interesting with those flood lights on the dome cars! I bet the passengers liked it, being able to see in the darkness. Rob – Thanks for the link to the museum! The climate in England is not worse than in Sweden so that would have been okay. I found in your info on B&O that they had 1129 diesels in 1960. That seems more like what they needed for 10,000 miles of tracks.
The milepost outside Globe, AZ shows 1214 miles! To what city?
Eric
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; coal for the snowplow, round for the house, and $ for the jukebox. Clear and cold this a.m. with about 5-6 inches of "locally isolated flurries" on the ground this a.m.; the K9 Korps is in their element. What is normally a short trip home from work took over 2 hours last night; 18 wheelers all over the place, etc. Well, driving in this part of the world is not for the faint hearted; even in good weather as we share the roads with all sorts of BIG trucks.
Thanks to all for Baltimore and Ohio related material. The C&O/B&O merger made for some interesting changes on both railroads. A look at a public timetable from back then will illustrate what I mean as passenger services truly became "interline." I remember well that C&O and B&O engines began showing up in each other's territory. Coal cars also became mixed a lot more than before. This got better as time went on so we saw coal cars from "all over." Good quarry for photographers.
I'll try and post more later. Before I forget, I am on the hunt for the Heisler which was pictured awhile back. I think I have found the information I was looking for at the house. Now it needs to be put it together in a coherent format.
BTW, I'm glad the crowd at the Theatuh last night brought bail $.
Work safe
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Here is some information re Heisler which was pictured a little while back.
The Heisler was a geared locomotive; their plant was in Erie, PA. The Heisler came along after the Shay and Climax engines were already in production.
The Craig Mountain Lumber Co. was located in Winchester, ID. Search Craig Lumber Company of Google and you will find several good sites; some with pictures.
Craig had four Heislers.
#2 was blt. In 1913
#3 was blt in 1917
#4 was blt in 1923
#6 was blt in 1928
The Cass Scenic Railroad (in WV) has a Heisler in its collection. This beastie belonged to the Meadow River Lumber Co. You can go to the Cass site and see some pictures of it; you can also read all about their Shays as well.
A Google search on Heisler will turn up many sites; again some with excellent pictures.
The best book out here is titled the Heisler Locomotive, 1891-1941. It is long o/p and command premium prices when you can find a copy. Bartender, three fingers of the good stuff for this one; last price search I did on this one (B&N site) showed four copies available at between $346 and $393 per copy. You can exhale now.
Before I forget, the book title Tumult on the Mountain (readily available) is about the best one out there re logging operations in WV.
I hope this helps - enjoy the sites and save your $ if you want the book.
foto credit: www.viarail.ca
G'day Gents!
Mid-week in mid-continent USA, skies are blue, temps are on the lo-side of the 20s, a "brisk" walk with Juneau, life is good! Petrol dropped from $2.19 (rounded) to $2.10 (rounded) up at "collusion corner" when I filled the wagon. Half a tank of gasoline has a "sting" to it for the wallet! What's new! <groan>
If you missed the gala 1st Anniversary of the Grand Re-opening of the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre, all I can offer is: you really missed something special. A night to remember for those of us who are on this side of the bars (steel ones!) that is! <grin>
Apologize for the very late start today, had yet another interruption to the serenity of retired life. Yes, another early morning appointment. Health care is just wunnerful! Actually, it IS and I'm thankful in so many ways that the "things" in life that can and do happen can be competently handled by those I've been seeing.
Yesterday turned out to be "more" than I had anticipated, and today has the "makings" of a similar event. However, there's some B&O material in the "hopper" that I'll try to get out before day's end.
Appreciate seeing those of you who stopped by, as always, and there was some fine "stuff" for the Tuesday B&O Theme for the Day!
Acknowledgments:
CM3 at 8:40 AM yesterday: Some fine B&O material, good conversation, a round ‘n quarters for Herr Wurlitzer's Coal Scuttle. Can't get much better, eh Also, the possibility of a "report" on last night's festivities at the Emporium has put the a high degree of anticipation into whatever you have in mind!
DL at 11:06 AM yesterday: Another fine contribution to the matters at hand - URLs always "right on"! Unfortunately there will be little time for very much other than some photos at Union Station in Chicago, then we board the Texas Eagle for our return to St. Louis. If everything is on time, the turn around time is just a bit over an hour. Next time, fer sure, fer sure!
Lars at 3:55 PM yesterday: Some fine Pix from the Larsman to help along the B&O theme. Love that Sky Dome car with the flood lights - in fact, I have an "ad" that I'll provide a bit later on with this as a feature.
Not to worry, Mate - I'm not a believer in running a good thing into the ground. You pitched in quite well for me two days in succession. Can't let the "well" run dry! Thanx for the thought!
Pete at 6:01 PM & 10:19 PM & 11:18 PM yesterday: And the Wolfman didn't disappoint as there's some B&O material too, via the archives of passengerfan Al (Legion of the Lost)!
I recall that Post of his as he and I disagreed regarding the terminology used - he says "headlights," I say "flood lights" - neither of us budged. Just going by B&Os terminology. <grin>
Seems you were at the ‘puter rather late. Hmmmmm, sets the mind to wonderin'
Yes, Frostbite does have a "built in" tuxedo appearance, eh
Looking forward to our Chicago adventure!
Rob at 9:33 PM & 10:07 PM & 10:32PM & 11:36 PM yesterday: Outstanding contributions for our "Theme - B&O" Looks like you got the copy ‘n paste thing to work, or developed a way around it. Whatever, truly appreciate your picking up the slack AND no way have you let us down.
You certainly outdid yourself last evening and have earned a gold 5- Salute!
James at 9:48 PM yesterday: There's a saying, "A man has to do what a man has to do!" So, establish your priorities and go with them. The bar will be here when you're able to spend some time with us. Just try to catch up on what's been Posted - no need to repeat each ‘n every accolade the guys have put forth. Being inclusive doesn't mean being repetitive to the works of others. Just be you, that'll work just fine for us.
Eric at 1:10 AM today: I've been "hooked" on that "Globe thing" you Posted. Since Globe is to the east of Phoenix - about 65-75 miles - and not knowing the specific direction of those tracks, my guess is the city located 1214 miles from that mile post could be Houston, TX or Kansas City, MO. What say you
Yes, those figures for the B&O locos does appear a bit skewed. However, I did verify it (Classic American Railroads, Vol I) and that's what the "source" shows. Of course they are referring to diesels, so total locos doesn't really factor in. Does appear to be an error. Good eye!
Something from the "hopper" for yesterday's "Theme for the Day!"
first Posted on page 127 More on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) of the Fallen Flags from The Official Guide of the Railways - Aug 1956
Thrilled travelers tell us "There's nothing like the view from B&O's STRATA-DOME" ..... Route your passengers via B&O and they'll sing your praises too Passengers traveling in a B&O Strata-Dome marvel at the thrilling panorama and natural beauty of the ever-changing scenery. FLOODLIGHTS AT NIGHT Powerful floodlight beams provide a novel view of the landscape after dark. This exclusive B&O service between Washington and Chicago is offered at no charge! Strata-Dome Dieseliners between CHICAGO - AKRON - PITTSBURGH - WASHINGTON The Capitol Limited (All Pullman) - The Columbia (Deluxe-Coach) - The Shenandoah* (Pullman and Coach) THROUGH SERVICE TO AND FROM BALTIMORE, WILMINGTON, PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK. *On the Shenandoah, Strata-Dome is operated on alternate dates. Available only to Pullman passengers on the Shenandoah. BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD Enjoy! Tom
And yet another for the B&O, but this time, some very different AND special.
Check this out!
Baltimore & Ohio EM-1 7621 on Mance Curve, Mance, PA. (with permission from the artist: Gary Bennett - www.xmission.com)
Now whadyathinkabout THAT Wunnerful, eh Sometimes even freights look good!
Enjoy!
Tom
G'day Cap'n Tom & fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth, a tankard of Keiths Ale if you please and slide the snack trays down my way, wudja!
What a fine outpouring of B&O material these past couple of days! My grandfather and father would be proud to view it all. They had long careers with the B&O, but not at all in any position of prominence. Working "stiffs" who earned their keep by being dependable and competent in the work place. Something we all used to take pride in, huh
Some 'super fine' stuff from Cap'n Tom, as always, AND that painting is absolutely wonderful! A 5- Salute for sure!
Want to mention that I will be scarce from now 'til perhaps early next week. Going to take the Mrs. away for the weekend and hope to be free from phones, TV, computers, etc. Looking forward to the break, I know she deserves it!
Received your Email on the Rendezvous and it looks excellent to me. Just being together with some of the gang will make for a good time as far as I'm concerned.
Good to see the guys pick up the slack yesterday, especially Rob! Now that was quite a bit of material you put together and in spite of it being late at night, it "resides" here for one and all to enjoy!
Thought I'd share a bit of "news" regarding my "bookend - BK." Seems they are heading to Austrailia sometime next week. Right now they are in Hawaii, enjoying all that one can find to do with the surf 'n sun. Then "down under." So, I don't expect we'll be seeing 'em 'round these parts for some time to come. That's not good news. Anyway, BK passes on New Years greetings to all and said he'd try to swing by to at least let us know we haven't been forgotten. He also mentioned that trip to Europe (Scandinavia) that he mentioned some time back. Looks like they are really "into" the traveling mode. <envy>
Now for my humble B&O offering:
B&O 2-6-0 Loco #2444 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com) photo: Robert H. Kennedy)
B&O - 4-4-2 #1474 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com - Photo: Paul Eilenberger)
Ruth, set 'em up with a drink on the Larsman!
Until the next time!
Lars
A pint of Holdens Bitter please RUTH as a hair of the dog after yesterday night's celebration of the Emporium's anniversary.
ROB It was good to be with you in the bar last evening.Enjoyed the post on the B&O and C&O merger.
ERIC Apprently in the 1930s the LNER management were very impressed by the new diesel train in use in Germany which was putting in fast runs. Sir Nigel Gresley went to view the train. When he came back he told the LNER board he would design them a steam loco that would equal or beat the diesel train. The locos were the A4s.
I will be interested in the 1214 milepost answer.
CM3 Many thanks for information and links to the Heisler locos. That is a very informative link to the Craig Mountain Lumber co from the university and another link to some great photos of the railroad and a pic of #3 at work.
I guess you must have travelled on the Cass Scenic Railroad. It must be a great experience with the 11% grade and those Shay locos.
Are there any logging lines still in use in WV.
I am glad I had that stiff drink before I saw the price of that book, but I bet is a marvellous book.
It will be good to read the report of last nights celebrations as my memory is a bit hazy today
TOM Glad you liked the B&O encore I borrowed from AL. The pic from LARS of the car with the lights reminded me of it. I know I was fascinated by the lights on the cars roof at the time.
Many thanks for the two posts on the lit Strata Dome from the Official Guide to Railways.
I must admit I do like good railway art, and that is a great painting of B&O # 7621 in the snow. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I have a link showing the bell that was presented to the Great Western Railway(UK) King class locomotive No 6000 King George V which attended the B&O centennary celebration in 1927.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_6000_Class_6000_King_George_V
No 6000 carried the bell all through its service with the GWR and British Railways and the loco as been preserved. It is now in the museum at Swindon on the site she was built. The loco also hauled the first train on BR after the steam ban, when it ran a special in 1971.
A photo below is of a class mate of the locomotive that carried the number 100 before the TOPS renumbering on BR, when the loco became 45060. The class of locos were known as the 'Peak' class after the first 10 locos which were named after mountains in England and Wales.
Some of the other locos recieved names and No 100 was Sherwood Forester. The loco was shedded at Derby and Toton in the East Midlands of England and would have worked trains on the Midland Main Line and trains on the North East - South West route to Bristol.
I have posted it as a tribute to Our Place 2 reaching 100 posts.
LARS Just caught your post. I did not know of the family connection to the B&O.
Hope you both have a quiet and relaxing break for a few days. See you when you get back.
Thanks for passing on the greeting from BK, sounds as though they are having a good time.
Great pics of the B&O locos. The 4-4-2 looks as though she was a loco that was capable of a fair bit of speed
Well RUTH to celebrate the 100th post I'll have a SMALL tot of the 100 proof Woods rum., and a round for the house please.
Pete
Good evening Leon , I think I will trouble you for a couple of fingers of Crown Royal this evening. Oh and here's a sack of quarters for Herr Wurlitzer. A round of the Canadian Railroad Trilogy, followed by Rainy Day People and the Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I'm in a Lightfoot mood tonight
Tom-Thanks for enjoying the B&O stuff, some nice hot new stuff. I didn't drag that off with the ole cut in paste. I gave up those attempts and typed those in all by my lonesome Loved seeing the B&O ad that touched off the great Headlight vs Flodd light debate again.Wonderfull painting as well. I'm glad the artist allowed it's use 5x for that fer sure fer sure.
Lars-Great photo's sir. Nice to know that the family ties to B&O are still strong.Have no fears about your well deserved time away, we shall keep the lights burning here. next time you corespond with BK give him a happy merry new year from us as well. We'll keep his stool polished for him.
CM3-Ah winter drivers, I know them well. We finally got our first snow of the year an eighth of an inch, yet still the SUV drivers managed to put em in the ditches If you don't know how to don't drive them.Great info on the Heislers I'm still trying to digest the price of that book though ,good gawd gertie but that's steep. I have photo's somewhere of Heather sitting in the cab of one of Cass's shays. I'm wondering did they get the bridge that colapsed rebuilt yet or are they still running a shorter run without it
Eric-Your welcome for the link hope it helped "splain" the museum.I guess your right anout the English weather, I was referring to the wetness as opposed to the cold and snow of your homeland. I think that you would have enjoyed the winter we have had this year so far , no deep deep freeze yet.I'm intrigued by your question as well. My useless stab would be Los Vegas, I'm likely way off , I have a feeling that Tom's guesses were much closer.
Well Tom and Pete enjoy Chi -Town
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, I would like a ham sandwich, please! No, no mustard. I want it cold and on rye!
Some more info on Baltimore & Ohio today! There is always something new to learn.
CM3 – Seems like you had a hell of an evening at the theater! Too bad I couldn’t go. I found some more info about the Heisler locmotives.Charles Heisler built his first locomotive in 1891. It was built by the Dunkirk Engineering Co. of New York. Regular production started 1894 at the Sternes Locomotive Co of Eire, PA. That company was liquidated 1904 and became the Heisler Locomotive Works in 1907. Heisler Locomotive Works built engines until 1941. Altogether approximately 625 locomotives. The Heisler locomotives were considered being the fastest of the geared locos.I don’t know if I am prepared to spend close to $400 on that book.Tom – I can’t see any reason for you to apologize for a late start! It’s like you are telling James and have told me, "A man has to do what a man has to do!" And I would say that your health is much more important than a late or missing post! The mile post does not show the distance to Houston or Kansas City. That track is old SP-territory and it shows the distance to San Francisco. In order to get to San Francisco from Globe you first have to travel south to Bowie, AZ. There you will hit the old Sunset Route. “Turn” right and you are on your way to Los Angeles and then north to SF. Thanks for the mail!! The plans for the Rendevouz look just great! Will respond in a day or two. It would have been fun to travel in a B&O Strata-Dome with the floodlights on in the dark! Those floodlights remind me of something that happened when we were on the tour with the X2000 on the way Washington to Chicago (like the Strata-Domes). Somewhere in the late evening we traveled along a highway (freeway I believe). We came to a place where the track went in a curve around a rest area on the left side. We saw probably about twenty cars parked facing the track and t people standing around them The same moment we came to the first car all the headlights were turned on illuminating the train and people started taking pictures of the train when we passed.That painting of the B&O EM-1 is outstanding! B&O had 30 EM-1’s built by Baldwin 1944-45 and retired 1960. Freight can certainly look ghood!
Lars – Thank you for the greetings from BK!! Hawaii and Australia! Wow! I hope he doesn’t go to Scandinavia too early in the spring. The weather might not be so nice then. Nice pictures of the two B&O steam locomotives! #2444 is a Class K-17 built by Lima 1917 and retired 1954. #1474 is a Class A-2, Schenectady 1903. The last one retired 1947. Have a real nice break!!! That is important! Family first!!Pete – I think I read about test runs with the A4 and a diesel engine between two cities and A4 proved to be the faster locomotive. The mile post shows the distance to from Globe San Francisco. See my repsonse to Tom! A very nice Bell for King George! I bet it sounds nice as well. Rob – Yes, I know much more about the museum now and I will go back to their site soon and find out more. I don’t mind wet weather that much but I hate cold and snowy weather. I was born in the wrong part of the world! As a matter of fact, your guess is much closer ttan Tom’s! San Francisco is the correct answer. See my response to Tom!
1214 miles from San Francisco! The mile post is behind my back.
<fweeeet< <fweeeet> Now hear this! Now hear this! This is the Captain speaking. Royal Navy expected to arrive early this afternoon. Soogie parties assemble on the fore decks. Sweepers man your brooms. Clean sweepdown fore ‘n aft! This is no drill! <fweeeet> <fweeeet>
And so, another day has dawned here in mid-continent USA along with a cold front that has put us back into the "feel" of winter. All we need is snow and it would be a perfect world for Juneau and those who revel in this time of year!
Congrats to the Larsman for providing the 100th Post on our "reborn" Thread! We're moving along toward the 10,000th overall.
Moving on to the acknowledgments:
Lars at 4:23 PM yesterday: The 100th Post! Good to have you aboard and appreciate those great looking steam loco's of the B&O! Amazing how much info is out there on that historic railroad. One day you'll have to share the family legacy with us. I recall the B&O operating on Staten Island as freight and running the S.I.R.T. (Staten Island Rapid Transit). The herald was everywhere in those days, kinda grew up with that image in my mind. HOWEVER, it never supplanted the Pennsy or NY Central! Then in later years, the New Haven became my favorite. Fickle kinda guy, eh
Best to you and your bride for a relaxing get-away. Take full advantage of these opportunities, my friend, as there really are no "do overs" in life. But then, you already know that, eh See ya when you get back!
Pete at 4:46 PM yesterday: Slipped that one in on us, eh Was thinking you'd be an evening visitor, but either way, great to see ya! Sorry ‘bout that duplicate Post of mine - I deleted one of ‘em. Don't have a clue how that occurred, but then again, these Forum Gremlins are EVERYWHERE!
Really fine material on the "bell" and fully appreciate your sharing the info with us. Really love the look of that loco! Reminds me just a bit of a Baldwin. Anyway, can you imagine such attention being given these days to an anniversary for a railroad [?[ Methinks NOT! My oh my how times have changed. That's was quite a gesture on the part of the King and says a lot regarding the ties between our two countries.
Email received - Looking forward to our Chicago adventure!
Rob at 12:02 AM today: As you already know, Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian RR Trilogy is one of my all time favorite of favorites when it comes to railroad songs - good choice!
Really sorry to learn that you cannot "cut ‘n paste" from the "old" site to the new. Can't quite understand why not. It has to be something disabled within your software, methinks. The challenge is to find out precisely what it is and how to fix it! <groan>
Received your Email and responded to same - THANX!
Eric at 12:46 AM today: I took the mileages from my road Atlas and used the distances between Phoenix and "wherever" 1,200 appeared. Nothing more elaborate than that! I can't believe I missed San Francisco. Now, Las Vegas is 292 road miles from Phoenix, so I wouldn't have thought of that one. Anyway, NICE ‘quiz' - something to keep the grey matter functioning!
Don't even wanna talk about health issues these days (daze). I'm not really falling apart at the seams, just springing a leak here ‘n there - figuratively speaking that is!
Oh if ONLY we could turn back the hands of time for a chance to travel aboard those wonderful streamliners of yesteryear. The B&O domes, the Santa Fe Chiefs, the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder, and it goes on and on. Fortunately, the information still exists for one and all here in the Ether and of course through a myriad of books and videos. Amen!
That photo of yours reminds me of a rest stop or two that I frequented on my road trips into the desert areas of the southwest. Several of them had signs warning of poisonous snakes in the area. Made one feel rather uncomfortable and having second thoughts about whether it was REALLY necessary to go to the restroom! Nope - I'll take the colder climates with sufficient drops in temps to kill off those kinds of critters! <grin>
Reminder: Ruth has the bar from 9 AM until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
Significant events in Canadian RR History
during the month of January.
Part I of II - 1800's to 1900:
Initially Posted on Pages 215 - 216 of the "original" Thread*January 27th, 1854: - The Great Western Railway opens its Hamilton to London, Ontario section of its main line between Windsor and Niagara Falls. Moving on to acquire other railroads throughout Southern Ontario, it can be claimed to be the first Canadian railway system. * January 4, 1875: The Intercolonial Railway of Prince Edward Island opened the line between Charlottetown and Tignish for rail traffic. * January 31st, 1880: The Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa & Occidental Railay opened an Ice Railway between Longueuil and Montreal by placing railway track on large timbers laid on the ice of the St. Lawrence Seaway. A car ferry was used by the QMO&O during warmer months. The ice railway continued each winter until 1883. * January 1st, 1882: The Canadian Pacific Railway appointed William Cornelius Van Horne as General Manager. Under his tenure, 480 miles of track was laid across the Prairies in the summer of 1882. * January 13th, 1899: The joining of the Winnipeg Great Northern Railway with the Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company formed the Canadian Northern Railway. By 1915, under the leadership of Donald Mann and William Mackenzie, the Canadian Northern system expanded to 9,362 miles of track.
Part II of II - 1900's to present times: * January 3rd, 1912: The Canadian Pacific Railway leases the Dominion Atlantic Railway Company of Nova Scotia. * January 1st, 1914: Twelve miles of what was to become the Pacific Great Eastern Railway opens between North Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia. * January 19th, 1923: , January 19 - The Grand Trunk Railway is amalgamated into the Canadian National System by governmental order. The system took in the Canadian Government Railways (including the Intercolonial, the Prince Edward Island and the National Transcontinental Railways); the Hudson Bay Railway; the Canadian Northern and subsidiaries; the Grand Trunk Pacific; and the Grand Trunk (including the Grand Trunk Western and the Grand Trunk New England routes). * January 31st, 1930: This day commemorates the first use of the new elevated tracks through the new station platform at Toronto's Union Station. * January 13th, 1955: The Terrace to Kitimat, BC line was opened for traffic on this date by Canadian National Railways, although the official "last spike" ceremony took place on July 8 with the driving of an aluminum sp-ike produced at Kitmat. * January 20th, 1960: Canada's northernmost railroad (at the time) began operations by the Quebec Cartier Mining Company between Port Cartier to Gagnon, QC. * January 31, 1964: The Canadian National Railways extended its Optic and Chisel Lake line to Stall Lake, MB. * January 7th, 1969: Technical problems forces the suspension of Turbo Train service between Montreal and Toronto. * January 12th, 1977: Inter-city passenger rail service is officially granted to Via Rail Canada. * January 3, 1986: Vancouver's Skytrain begins operation between downtown Vancouver, Waterfront and New Westminster, BC. * January 15, 1990: Half of the VIA Rail Canada passenger network gets the budget axe. As a result of this action, a decision is made to run just one transcontinental train between Toronto and Vancouver via CN through Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper, thereby discontinuing the use of CP trackage. * January 16th, 1990: The Minister of Transport approves the Canadian Rail Operating Rules. * January of 1993: The Rivard Commission the report of the National Transportation Act Review Commission is published. * January 7th, 1995: The New Brunswick Southern Railway begins operation over former CP tracks from McAdam to Saint John, N.B. with a line between McAdam and St. Stephen. * January 7th, 1995: The Wisconsin Central Railway acquires the Algoma Central Railway. * January 1st, 1998: The Guelph Junction Railway (formerly the Goderich subdivision), is acquired by the Ontario Southland Railway. This line had been leased by CP from the City of Guelph since 1888. The Ontario Southland also took over the 3.1 mile segment of the CP owned Guelph and Goderich Railway. * January 19th, 1998: The CN tracks between Mont-Joli, QC and Moncton, NB is acquired by the Quebec Railway Corporation through its owned subsidiaries: (1) New Brunswick East Coast Railway between Pacific Junction, near Montcton, and Campbellton, NB. (2) Matapedia Railway between Campbellton, NB and Mont-Joli, QC. * January 15, 1999: Formal ceremonies of the handing over of the former CP line between Sicamous and Kelowna, BC (including operating rights over the CN tracks between Vernon and Kelowna) takes place under the operation of the Okanagan Valley Railway. * January 8th, 1999: CP relinquishes operation of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway which is assumed by RailAmerica, Inc. * January of 2000: The acquisition of 21.9 kilometers of track between Prince Albert and Birch Hills, SK is announced by OmniTRAX. * January 5th, 2002: Vancouver's Skytrain opens the Millennium Line section from Columbus to Braid. * January 9th, 2003: The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Canada Company begins operations through the acquisition of the Bangor & Aroostook Railro
A surprise for this evening as Wolfman Pete and Moi are reporting in from the Siberianmo Haus!
Don't want to dwell on a "downer" BUT where in %# is everyone today!! Poor Ruth left with tears in her lovely eyes and Leon has threatened to lock the doors! Regulars or Irregulars - we are foundering, Gentlemen, and that ain't good!
Pete's train was a tad bit late, but not all that bad to where we couldn't swing by the TrainWreck if for no other reason than to assure that it is still standing. Getting him into the joint was no problem, it was the getting out . . . <grin>
As should be apparent, our Chicago trip is imminent and due to an early start tomorrow morning, it will be TOTALLY up to you guys to keep things going 'til our return.
Would love to respond to your comments, however, there ain't any!
Pete has convinced me that he DOES INDEED PREFER WARM BEER! Imagine that
'Til the next time . . .
Leon set 'em up . . .
Regards from Pete 'n Tom!
Good evening Captain Tom and all!!
Leon, Rumpsteak Café de Paris please! Medium.
It was indeed a very quiet day today at Our Place! I have talked to Ruth, she is still up and running around. She said she feels a little bit better tonight. I convinced her to drink some “spiked’ OJ that Boris offered. I don't know where he kept it but it helped!
Tom – We were supposed to have a cool day today with rain, but the sky was blue and we had plenty of sunshine instead! I understand that Royal Navy made it to St. Louis today! Hope you will have a real nice day tomorrow sailing all the way to Chicago and back!I don ‘t understand why the road atlases don’t show the railroads??? The road atlases covering just one state do, but not AAA or RandMcNally. Strange! I would have done the same thing you did, checking the distances to different cities using a road atlas. I have also been to a few of those rest areas where they have signs warning for poisonous snakes. But no problems so far. Ice railway! That is something also the Russians built during WWII on the Lake Ladoga to get food and weapons to Leningrad. It must have been kind of risky to cross the river between Longueuil and Montreal on the ice railway. Interesting things happened in Canada in January over the years! Tell Pete that beer is supposed to be cooold! Nothing else! Doug – Thanks for the drink!! See you this weekend!
Finally two pictures.
An old workhorse! I guess AEM-7 now is a Classic locomotive!
Another even older workhorse. A Swedish State Railways Class L5, 2-6-0, #1779, waiting for the last trip, to the scrap yard in 1971.
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house, and $ for the jukebox. Sorry for the silence yesterday, but work is the curse of the drinking class.
Speaking of drinking class, I have rec'd fragmentary posts from Mighty Mt. Mentor. The problem is that the Second Class Boys really entered into the sprit (in more ways than one) of the "Great Locomotive Chase," and have been cutting the telegraph wires and dynamiting the pole line. We'll get there, however. Awk is, even as we speak, getting ready to attempt to carry a message to our intrepid reporter.
Now, let's look at a few items.
DL has provided all sorts of general comments, historical info. etc. Many thanks.
Lars sent along B&O material. The Odyssey video sets are good ones - check out the one on the Rio Grande if you have not seen it already. Staufer's book on B&O power is a good one - I am not sure if it is still in print.
Pete - You're welcome re the Heisler information. I thought the boys would be interested in the price quotes on the Heisler book - it sure got quiet (LOL). Cass is well worth the trip.
You had a question re logging. A lot of it goes on in this part of WV. In fact, log trucks are all over the back roads, big rods, etc. around here. Most of the logs travel by truck to mills. GP has a facility in Fayette County which is served by rail. R.J. Corman operates trains on the old Loup Creek Branch of the C&O between Thurmond and Mt. Hope. There are a few GP employees in my neighborhood. The plant makes specialty board for construction. Corman operates 6-axle power on the branch; much of it quite visible by auto, especially when the trees are bare. If you want to find out more, check out Ron Lewis's excellent work, Transforming the Appalachia Countryside.
Rob - Thanks for B&O items.
James made a rapid stop. Study hard...
Eric - Globe, AZ - egad! On an SP branch line, no less. Back in the day, Globe was connected to the outside world by a bus which operated on the following route: El Paso-Lordsburg-Safford-Globe. It took abt. 7 hours to make the trip. No, Boris, I don't know why I remember this sort of stuff. Then we had a mention of the Lake Ladoga ice ry. This sent me to the east wing to dig up my copy of Harrison Salisbury's book, The Thousand Days. It's a good one if you haven't read it. BTW. The Swedish 2-6-0 shot was beautiful. Who built it? I see all sorts of German design influence in looking at the picture. Speaking of designs, IMHO, one of the handsomest engines out there was a SP&S 10-wheeler. Just something about how it all fit together.
2-6-0s were common in New England as the B&M operated them on branch lines throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts. They lasted right up to the end of steam.
Last (but never least); kudos to our 'Steamed Proprietor who sent along all sorts of B&O items as well as the print of the EM1 which was portrayed in the heart of B&O country. Used to travel up through there a lot to Somerset, PA and other points in the area to do safety meetings; it's a bear in the winter sometimes. Sidebar - See, I told you I'd show up on Friday. I hope all have a good time in Chicago - stay away from Capone's vaults, and I hope you get to Englewood in time to see the departure of the eastbound 20th Century and Broadway - if only, if only.
Hello all
I'll have a beer as this is a quick visit - - not had much time to drop by these last few days but have just had enough time to reveiew recent posts - not enough time to respond to points, will do that later on, but suffice to say somemthing weird (but good) in computer land is now letting me see a whole lot more pics (eg pics from Tom and Pete are now up in glorious colour, as Erics have alsways been) - and what great pics you have been posting. Superb.
Catch up with you soon!
DL
G'evening Gents!
Pete 'n Moi have returned from Chicago and it was a glorious round trip; everythng went as planned. Amtrak was close to being on-time, just a tad late for the return aboard the Texas Eagle, but nothing to cause alarm. Dinner in the diner - couldn't have been finer! And so forth. You had to have been with us to fully appreciate the experience. We're gonna do it AGAIN!
Greetings and THANX to all who took the time and made the effort to Post both last night and today. Fully understand how we all have priorities with our time, especially those of you who work for your keep!
We're about to experience a winter ice storm - just made it home before the rains turned to freezing. Doubtful regarding Pete's morning Amtrak return to Jefferson City. I'm aghast at the prospect of having to put up with him for yet another day! Heard that his bride thinks he should stay here permanently. Hmmmmmm, wonder if there's a message there However, Juneau has found a friend - a new Mate, as Pete puts it - so all's not so bad.
No promises, but I'll try to get something more tangible put together for those of you who give a Rat's Patoot either this weekend or surely over the Holiday Monday!
Leon, give 'em what they please - drinks on Pete 'n Moi!
'Til later!
Pete 'n Tom
Leon, I would like a juicy Filet Mignon and Fries!
Another quiet day at Our Place. I will not stay long, just finish my late dinner.
CM3 – Kind of a strange route for a bus, El Paso – Globe. I have read Harrison Salisbury’s book, The Thousand Days! It is a very interesting book!The Swedish 2-6-0 was built 1931 by Nohab, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOHAB in Sweden. Nohab later built GM diesel locomotives like the one seen in the picture below.
Swedish State Railways Class T44.DL – Don’t tell me you had a warm beer I have to ask Boris.Tom ‘n Pete – We are expecting a full report from your trip! Including pictures! Glad you had a great trip! Be careful in that winter storm!
Good morning Tom and crew. I'll have a light breakfast and attempt to get this day off to whatever "normal" is these daze. Did ya'll know that yesterday was the 21st month anniversary of the original "Our Place"? Did ya'll also know that tomorrow is Eric's birthday, and that Kids all across America have the day off on Monday because of it? Way to go Eric!
Welcome home to our railbound Captain and Pete! Glad your trip went well sirs, and wish I could have gotten away to have met you at Chicago's Union Station yesterday. Had yesterday been a "normal" day, I would have taken off from work, taken the train into town, met you at Union, and then hung around the city until my Railroad and Historical Society meeting. Fortunately/unfortunately, my bride and I had arranged to meet with friends, (our former and fellow horse-boarding friends), for dinner in Crystal Lake. So, I missed seeing ya'll and my meeting as well, which looked to be a good one. The speaker was to show slides of the steam locomotive restoration in which he participated. I did manage to attend a meeting of the 20th Century Railroad club on Wednesday evening, and was entertained by pictures of a cross-country varnish trip, and also slides from yet another one of our member's rail trip to China.
Locally, we've got nasty weather on the way, but it's calm and warm at the moment. Woodstock (location for the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day) will have 5 days of groundhog-related activities this year, which looks to be even better than last year. Can't wait!
I still need to read all the fine posts ya'll have been contributing this past week, so please forgive my not saying anything about that yet.
I gotta tell you guys .... from the e-mails I've been seeing, Tom is putting together an incredible Rendezvous (May 17th-20) that you need to attend if at all possible. The more the merrier .. so if you're even thinking about coming, just plain do it!
... And now ... here's Part I of an ENCORE, from my humble self:
The Great Pickleworks Wreck by Ron Ziel - Rail Classics May 1979 Ever since the Long Island Railroad built its mainline out to Greenport in 1814, the route has been synonymous with luxury trains. In the railway vernacular of the 19th century, these plush limiteds were simply called "varnish" in reference to the wooden coaches and parlor cars. Long after steel replaced wood in the railway car builder's art, the term "varnish" still lingered. In the early years, the fast passenger express trains made the trip from Brooklyn to Greensport in less time than it takes today (two hours, five minutes in 1901, compared to two hours, forty-three now). The original purpose of the mainline to Greensport was to speed passengers to Boston via a combination of two trains connected by a steamboat across Long Island Sound. By 1850, however, the New York , New Haven & Hartford Railroad had been completed across southern Connecticut, making the through train route faster and more convenient. The LIRR went into its first bankruptcy and began catering more to the needs of local traffic. With good, fast and comfortable accommodations available right to the Shelter Island Ferry dock in Greensport, many of the most prominent of New York's most upper crust of society built mansions on Shelter Island and summered there. For their particular needs, the railroad inaugurated a Friday evening express which has operated for nearly a century variously as "The Shelter Island Flyer," "The Shelter Island Flyer," or "The Shelter Island Express." Whichever name it went by, the train was as much a symbol of luxurious travel as was the "Cannon Ball" or the "Sunrise Special" which ran to the Hamptons and Montauk, on Long Island's South Fork. By the 1920's, The Shelter Island Express, double-headed with two locomotives, carried the stock brokers, the diplomats, the Broadway stars and the nabobs to their summer reverie on the North Fork and Shelter Island. Friday afternoon, August 13, 1926, was hot and muggy in New York, as passengers descended the steps from the high concourse of Penn Station, to the sweltering tunnel level, to board the electric cars for Jamaica, it was 3:50 p.m., when most New Yorkers were still at work. These passengers were obviously well-to-do and their comings and goings were determined by their own whims, rather than by the clock. One was Harold Fish, a prominent stock broker, who lived in East Marion, beyond the terminal at Greenport. A young mother, Mrs. George Schuford, with two children in tow, followed close behind. They sat on the hard wicker seats of the electric car. Precisely at 4 p.m., the train rolled out of the station and into the tepid, damp tunnel, toward Jamaica. One mile west of Jamaica station, in the Morris Park engine terminal, forty steam locomotives simmered on the ready tracks. More were being wheeled out of the roundhouse and onto the turntable. It was just an hour before the evening rush began. Engineer Squires and fireman Montgomery signed in with the engine-house clerk, walked over to the turntable pit, just in time to see a handsome four-drivered 1906 Pennsylvania Railroad-built D-16sb American-type locomotive, No. 214 drift out of the roundhouse. Almost noiselessly, the engine rolled the 100 feet to the edge of the turntable and with a loud clunk, clank as the weight shifted the balance of the table, the trim passenger locomotive was aboard. As she was being turned, Squires and Montgomery walked back to the engine-house to get their orders. A few minutes later, they were in the cab of No. 214, at the throat of the yard. Soon, a larger locomotive - a Camelback type, with the engineer's cab astride the boiler - rolled up behind No. 214. This was a big 4-4-2 engine, built by Baldwin in 1901, with 876-inch driving wheels. The gold numeral 2 shone on the black flanks of her cab. This was one of the most renowned engines on the road, and the fastest, having hit close to 120 mph on several occasions, when making up lost time. The crews of both engines compared watches, complained about the heat and wiped the sweat that left wide steaks of soot down their faces and necks, and returned to their cabs. No. 2 coupled onto the rear of No. 214's tender, there was a blast of No. 2's whistle, and the tandem of steam and steel slowly chugged out of the engine yard toward the station. The electric train from Penn Station had barely discharged its passengers at Jamaica when engines 214 and 2 trundled up to the opposite side of the platform. Right behind No. 2 was the Pullman parlor car Easter Lily. Harold Fish was welcomed aboard by the porter, as were 31 other passengers, including Mrs. Schuford and her two children. A few noticed the gathering thunderheads in the muggy sky and remarked that a storm might bring some relief from the oppressive heat. Easter Lily was not air conditioned; all the widows were open, and the cinder screens were up. The screens offered some protection, but by the end of a run, celluloid collars and white bonnets would be grey with fine coal dust. After an exchange of whistle blasts, the two locomotives began to roll eastward from track number eight. Directly behind Easter Lily was a combination baggage/coach (the baggage section kept the peasant
<fweeeet< <fweeeet> Now hear this! Now hear this! This is the Captain speaking. Royal Navy still on board. All hands are expected to exercise good order, discipline and behavior! An exceptioin to the regulations has been made as beer ‘n rum rations will be available in double the quantities considered normal for our friends from Great Britain. Additionally, the cooks will have fish ‘n chips available for the duration of the presence of our distinguished guest. Holiday routine throughout the ship until further notice! Carry on. <fweeeet> <fweeeet>
A bit of a different Saturday here in mid-continent USA as the ice storm has descended upon us with some not so pleasant outcomes. Power is out for nearly 100 thousand thus far, transportation has pretty much ground to a halt, although the highways seem to be okay, Amtrak has cancelled it's Missouri service for the day and night, and our electrified light-rail system (MetroLink) has stopped service on its main line.
All's well here at the Siberianmo Haus, with plenty of provisions, liquid included, well stocked. There's an emergency generator on hand with sufficient fuel supplies to get us through ‘til early in the coming week, and of course all kinds of vitals for Juneau!
Just wanted to touch base with y'all on this ENCORE! Saturday and I expect Pete will be logging in for some thoughts to share with the gang.
Appreciate the "plug" for our Rendezvous in May. As you say, the more the merrier - so if there is anyone seriously interested in participating, ship me an Email ASAP so that I can get you "in" on the things that require advance planning. Also thanx for kicking off our Saturday with your ENCORE! Post - and - the ‘funny.' Pete ‘n I had a good chuckle over that!
Eric, nice "stuff" on the Swedish locos - really liked that Nohab GM diesel.
I'll be back later on with an ENCORE! Post.
Reminder: Ruth has the bar until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
Wow Tom and Pete! Bet you're having fun with that weather! As you probably know, Chicago has escaped serious weather changes for another day. It's just cold. But snow seems to be on the way for the Bear game tomorrow. I don't have a generator to keep vital appliances, like the TV during Bear games, powered. So Commonwealth Edison better make sure I have uninterrupted coverage. We're running our errands today while we can. Here's part II of my ENCORE:
The Great Pickleworks Wreck by Ron Ziel - Rail Classics May 1979 Engineer Squires eased out the throttle of Engine No. 214 after a brief stop at Manorville. The time was 5:41 p.m., and Train No. 212, The Shelter Island Express, was right on the advertised, not one minute late. Montgomery paused long enough in his shoveling to wipe long rivulets of black sweat off his brow with his big, red bandana. He had shoveled six tons of coal through the firebox doors of engine No. 214 in the 73 minutes since they left Jamaica, and he was exhausted. From the wildly lurching gangway, he looked hopefully toward building thunderheads and the cooling rain, which he knew was just minutes away. Assisted by the big Camelback behind, No. 214 was leading the train at 70 mph. In the Easter Lily, Harold Fish was making his way toward the front vestibule of the rocking 90-ton parlor car. In his heavy, dark suit and high celluloid collar, Fish was sweltering. He needed a breath of fresh air. As he walked down the corridor of the car, the mother of the two children was telling them of the wonderful weekend ahead on Shelter Island. A maid brought them cups of ice water from the sweating cooler at the rear of the car. Train No. 212 roared into Calverton at better than 70 mph. Half a mile ahead, a pickup truck approached the Edwards Avenue grade crossing. The driver decided to stop, for he knew the speed of the Shelter Island Express on this stretch of the railroad. As the two men in the truck watched, engine No. 214 reached the Golden siding switch, made a sudden, violent lurch, jumped into the air and rolled over on her side with a great crunching sound. Engine No. 2 veered off the main track and, still coupled with the train, careened into the siding alongside the Golden Pickle Works, then left the rails and hit the side of the building, sending pickles and brine in every direction. The big Atlantic spun completely around knocking out the entire side of the pickle plant before it came to a stop. The Easter Lily, still coupled to No 2's tender, wrenched free and burrowed deep into the collapsing building. A cloud of dust rose 200 feet in the air. The men in the truck stared in disbelief at the scene. All was quiet, except for the distant rolling thunder. The Camelback's fireman had been thrown off his firing deck and was badly bruised. His engineer had a deep gash in the side of his head where he had been thrown against a red-hot injector pipe, but was still conscious. The fireman grabbed his shovel and began to heave dirt into the firebox, for he knew that if flames reached the wrecked building the passengers trapped inside the parlor car and the combine were doomed. After extinguishing the fire in No. 2, the fireman ran down to No. 214 which was lying on her side, enveloped in clouds of escaping steam. As he began shoveling sand into the firebox of the No. 214, he found the bodies of her crew. Squires and Montgomery had been pinned against the red-hot boiler backhead by several tons of coal. The two men in the truck regained their composure and raced to the wreck scene. A dazed man staggered out of the rear vestibule of Easter Lily. He was carrying a little boy. The boy was put in the truck, and the men sped the vehicle toward the hospital in Riverhead. They had gotten less than halfway when he died. Back in the parlor car, his sister was already dead. Their mother, Mrs. Schuford, was trapped in the wreckage. A few miles away, at Camp Upton, the 62nd Coast Artillery Regiment was on maneuvers. The men had heard the Shelter Island Express pass, and they had heard the great crash as the engines left the rails. As the thunderstorm broke, the soldiers drove searchlight trucks over to Calverton. Doctors and rescue workers were crawling through the wreckage as the regiment set up its lights. The macabre scene was continually accentuated by brilliant lightning bolts. The thunder was deafening, and torrents of rain turned the dust and earth which the engines had churned up into a quagmire. Men with lights reached the front vestibule of Easter Lily and found the body of Fish, who had smothered to death as salt poured down on him from the attic of the demolished building. The mother of the dead children, Mrs. Schuford, passed away shortly after reaching the hospital, six hours later. Meanwhile, the electrifying news flashed up to the North Fork. The telegrapher at Calverton sent word of the wreck to Jamaica, and the agents farther east at Riverhead, Aquebogue, Jamesport, Mattituck, Cutchogue, Peconic, Southhold and Greenport all picked it up. They rushed out onto the station platforms to tell the people who were waiting to meet the train, what had happened. Within minutes, everybody had heard of the Great Pickle Works Wreck. Anybody who had an automobile loaded up with family, friends and neighbors and headed for Calverton. By 7 p.m., on the Friday the thirteenth, Riverhead had a traffic jam - the first in its history.
Joe took his blind date to the carnival. "What would you like to do first, Kim?" asked Joe. I want to get weighed," she said. They ambled over to the weight guesser. He guessed 120 pounds. She got on the scale; it read 117 and she won a prize.Next, the couple went on the Ferris Wheel. When the ride was over, Joe again asked Kim what she would like to do."I want to get weighed," she said.Back to the weight guesser they went. Since they had been there before, he guessed her correct weight, and Joe lost his dollar.The couple walked around the carnival and again he asked where to next. "I want to get weighed," she responded.By this time, Joe figured she was really weird and took her home early, dropping her off with a handshake.Her roommate, Laura, asked her about the blind date, "How'd it go?"Kim responded, "Oh, Waura, it was wousy."
ENCORE! Saturday - ENCORE! Saturday
first Posted on Page 258
Something for Pete & Nick (and now, DL)(1) Great Britain: LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 45110 at Bewdley(GNU Free Documentation) (2) Great Britain: LMS Stainer Class 5 4-6-0 45110 at Bridgnorth (Wikimedia Commons) (3) Great Britain: LMS Royal Scot Class 6100 Royal Scot(Public Domain) (4) Great Britain: The nameplate of 6100 Royal Scot with the text commemorating its North American tour. (Wikimedia Commons) Enjoy! Tom
Well it look as though Tom as got me longer than we both thought,so it had better have a Bathams XXX please RUTH..
This is the first time I have seen an ice storm in person,very prettyto look at but not at all nice to go out in but at leasthere and at the brides there is still power.Both Amtrak trains are cancelled today and there web site says there are12 frieght trains stranded by fallen trees between St.Louis and Jeff City. We are OK as long as we have pwer to run the Can-AM though.
It was agreat trip to Chicago and back yesterday.Chiicago seems a great city and I will have to spend some more time there. The railroad scene there is great and what it must have been like in the hayday of the classic passenger trains in the steam and early diesel era would have been unbelieveable.Still it is great that today it is possible to travel in a Sightseer Lounge and have a good dinner in the diner.
Well TOM has kindly let me look at the posts so I am upto date at the bar.
ERIC Thanks for the pics,and more info on the Heisler locos. The Swedish 2-6-0 steam loco looks in far too good of a condion to be heading to the scrapyard.
CM3 Thanks for the info on the logging.It is good to know that one compny still uses rail.I am glad that the reports of the Emporium celebrations are getting through to our reporter.
DL Good news about being able to getthe pics now.Looking forward to your next post.
DOUG IT would have been good to see you in Chicago, but we will meetup at the rendezvous.
Many Thanks for the Great Pickle Works Wreak Encore.It is still sobering to think if it had not been for that heavy thunder storm th factory couldhave still had the workers in it.
TOM It is a bit strange to read your posts on your own com puter but they are still great, with the Canadian RR History for January Part 1 and the British photo encore.
The Class 5 No 45110 was one of the locos that hauled thelst BR steam hauled train, and 6100 Royal Scot is in the Unrebult state in which the loco toured North America. The loco is being restored into running order at the present, although it is in the rebuilt state with a taper boiler which it recieved in the late 1940s.
Boris, just a black cup of coffee, thank you!
A cold Saturday here in the southwest so it is time to stop by at the Bar and drink something warm (not beer though) before going to bed.
Doug – You know, it is amazing! Kids have Monday of because of my birthday and the very first locomotive I operated all by myself after becoming an engineer is today in a museum! It feels good to be so famous!Interesting story about the Great Pickle Works Wreck! Did they ever figure out what caused the wreck? I must say I admire the Camelback’s fireman who stayed cool and most likely saved a lot of people by extinguishing the fire in No. 2!Tom – You have an ice storm in St. Louis and we have the coldest night/morning for three years in Phoenix tonight. You are obviously well prepared for the worst.
Some very nice pictures of those British locomotives! Pete – First time Chicago and first time ice storm! I bet you prefer Chicago. At least I do. Glad you had a great trip! The steam loco (on its way to the scrap yard) was in a very good condition. During the cold war the Swedish State Railways stored hundred of steam locomotives to have in case of war. They expected the electric system would be destroyed by bombs and thus the electric locomotives would be useless. In the early 1990’s the last 200 locos were taken out of storage and many of them sold/donated to railway museums etc. Several of them ended up in other countries, like in UK, USA, Canada, Holland, and other countries.
A mix of a few pictures in random order.
One of many stored steam locomotives in 1968. Class E10, 4-8-0, built 1947.
New innovation! Rubberized wheels.
Southern Pacific Class S-2, 4-10-2.
A very blurry picture from when I (to the left) first started my railroad career in the late 40's.
Even though the bar at "Our" Place is
CLOSED on Sundays -
We do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!
Just a "quickie" to let you know we're still pretty much "ice bound" here in mid-continent USA. Pete's still with us as a 3rd round of below freezing rain is on the way. We lost power for about 12 hours early last evening. Fortunately the emergency generator provided us with sufficient "juice" to keep the essentials going - fridge 'n lamps. Feel rather sorry for our friend as I know he's concerned about his bride in central Missouri, where conditions are even worse. At least the roads around here are okay.
So, hardly a soul in sight here in the Ether as well. Thought fer sure we'd see some "help" during these times of difficulties. Must be bad all over, eh
I'll catch up with things a bit later on - time to get Juneau on the move. He's taking quite a liking to the Wolfman! Why not - Siberian Huskies look "wolflike"!
Later!
Now playing at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!
. . . Sunday, January 14th thru 20th: Ice Station Zebra (1968) Starring: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown, Tony Bill - and - A Night to Remember (1958) Starring: Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres, Honor Blackman, Anthony Bushell. SHORT: The Three Stooges - Three Little Sew and Sews (1939).
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
PLOT SUMMARY:
The U.S. nuclear sub Tigerfish churns toward the North Pole. Its mission: rescue the imperiled members of weather outpost Ice Station Zebra. On board are Cmdr. Ferraday and his crew, several unexpected arrivals with secret orders - and enough suspicions, suspense and twists to make Ice Station Zebra an engrossing espionage thriller. The Cold War heats up as John Sturges (The Great Escape) directs Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown and more in this epic adventure nominated for two Academy Awards?* and featuring taut action set pieces above and below the ice. All hands to stations for excitement!
from: amazon.com
A Night to Remember (1958)
The Titanic disaster is depicted in straightforward fashion without the addition of fictional subplots. On its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, the British liner Titanic with 2200 people on board is gashed along 300 feet of its hull by an iceberg. As it starts to sink, the new invention of radio is used to try and summon help, although this is disastrously ignored by the closest vessel. With lifeboat places for only 1200 people, it is not only women and children first, but also First Class before Steerage.
SHORT: Three Little Sew and Sews (1939)PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly
The Stooges are tailors in the Navy, and when they can't get a pass they steal some officers' uniforms. Curly is mistaken for Admiral Taylor, and the Stooges go to a party where some spies try to get them to show them the Navy's new top secret submarine. When the real Admiral Taylor shows up, the Stooges pretend not to know him, and decide that they had better make themselves scarce, so they hide out in the submarine, accompanied by the spies!
from: threestooges.net
Enjoy! Tom
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter