Good morning Tom and gang! ONly have time to grab a roll from the Mentor Village Bakery, and hit the snowy trail to work. Wonderful pictures yesterday from many patrons here, which I will properly acknowledge soon. Here are the other two pix I didn't get back to uploading yesterday.
Sunday again! Nothing to eat or drink, just push this inside and leave.
Spent a few hours catching up on everything since last Thursday! I would say it was well spent time!Tom – You found another worthy idiot of the week!! I wouldn’t dream of claiming the win! You, Sir, won! I was the last one to answer.I got the info about those 4-8-2’s from a book I have “Guide to North American Steam Locomotives” by George H. Drury that I have. Full of facts and pictures. I am glad you got your computer to work properly! My very first computer, a Mac II SE, from 1989 is still working just fine. I had it in a closet for nine years after moving to P{hoenix. Then I took it out, hooked up keyboard, mouse and power and it started up right away! The only thing out of order was the time, it was 23 minutes behind! I’ll put together something about the “dead man’s pedal”. Sounds like your trip from North Vancouver to the “hinterlands” in 1999 was a great one! Do you know if they still are running those RDC’s on that line? I loved to read your Encore!Love those pictures from Alaska! Denali N.P. is a place that I have to visit one day!!Good movies as always. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of my all time favorite movies!!Nice pictures from Chicago Union Station and your trip! I don’t know why I didn’t take any pictures when I was there in 1993. I think I have some video from that time though. Chicago is a nice city in my mind. The last picture shows the boss iof youtr house in the center, correct?CM3 – I found some Rutland [pictures including #90 on the link below. They were retired 1955 after being delivered in June 1946. http://www.railarchive.net/rlsteam/index.html?MainFrame=http://www.railarchive.net/rlsteam/misc.htmThanks for the info on the Fayette County railroads! It seems like quite a few of those short lines are still in operation!DL – Swedish Class X3 was built (assembled) by Alstom at Birmingham, UK. The bodyshells came from Spain and the trucks from France.Pete – No, who wants to argue with the boss? Tom was first, so he won! I don’t know which was the most popular wheel arrangement in the US, but after a quick check it seems like 2-8-2, Mikado was the most popular one. I don’t have any number of Mikados built. But I also found one book claiming the Mountain type, 4-8-2, being the most popular. Nice Amtrak pictures! Reminds me about a trip I am planning to Washington D.C. to ride Amtrak’s Acela. I have an invitation to do that. Just have to find time for the trip.The Belgian Railways Class 62 were introduced in 1961. Total built: 136, most of them have been withdrawn now. It has a GM 12-567C diesel engine, 1,400 hp. Max. speed 75 mph.This is basically all the info I could find about the loco in Alan’s pictures.Rob - A new house it will be when I win the Powerball! Then I use the change to buy the business car! RDC? Hmm, I have to think about it. Very interesting info on ALCO locomotives! Alco looked Alco long way!James – On our trip to the Canyon our train was pulled by engine #29, a steam locomotive. See picture below. That was back in 1992. As far as I know they did not have any Alcos then. The speed of the train was very modest, I really don’t know how fast, maybe 30-40 mph? Hard to tell.Thanks for the Chessie System aricle! I would say after UP Chessie is my wife’s favorite RR thanks to their kitten logo!Nice pictures! Do you know when the FP7 picture was taken?
Grand Canyon Railways #29.
Lars – Hope your shooping trip turned out as a good one, maybe some RR-books? I am glad to hear that you are not guilty! I thought that the picture maybe was from Key West. Too bad that part of the old Florida East Coast RR is gone! Doug – I noticed the tender problem thanks to both models were very nice looking (so I had to look closer at them) and I especially like everything SP. Nice old pictures and roster of Atlantic Coast Line!
Eric
G-day Tom and all present.
Leon- Could I get a coffee, please.
I see some great photos out there. I really enjoyed looking at them. But I will give acknowledgements tomorrow.
Now, it's time for some photos.
Milwaukee road FP7 #108A takes a very short passenger train through Wisconsin. Not sure where this is located.
This was a real cool picture. This SW7 is sitting at a locomotive facility and looks to be sitting in small yard. I also have no idea where this is located but I could guess and say somewhere in the Dakotas since the land flat and a few hills.
Enjoy.
James
Hello Captain Tom and all present!!
Shouldn't be too many here since the bar is closed. I thought i heard some voices back from Boris' shed. I am here just to push one pictuure underneath the door. I promised Pete some info on the Swedish Railroad Signals. Maybe they are installing the new fancy bar Lars donated? I heard that Ruth is going to be the bartender! Compensation or what??
Anyway, here are most of the signals and the different aspects used in Sweden:
I'll be back later with an inclusive post!
Hi Tom and all.
TOM Really great pics of the Chicago trip. It is still a great railroad city and the Union station is a wonderful building. What great colors reflected on the side of the Texas Eagle car and the car in the Amtrak yard came out really well with the light being quite dark and our train moving quite fast as I recall. Great pic of Juneau and us.
We will have to do that trip to Chicago again.. This time I will make sure my film as not run out.
Here are some pics from alan's recent rail trip to Belgium, it featured diesel lcomotives and I am afraid I have no details of the locos, perhaps ERIC may be able to help.
De Panne Yard ,Belgium, near the French border.
These three pics are between Gent and Zelzat.
Pete.
Even though the bar at "Our" Place is
CLOSED ON SUNDAYS! -
We do observe SUNDAY PHOTO POSTING DAY!
The final installment of the Chicago Amtrak trip on this FINAL Sunday Pix Posting Day!
Texas Eagle at Chicago Union Station
"Our" Texas Eagle Superliner Coach
Texas Eagle boarding at Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station from the rear door window of the Texas Eagle
Departing Chicago Union Station on the Texas Eagle - trackside cars
Texas Eagle Superliner Sightseer Lounge - that's the Wolfman!
Joliet, Illinois from the southbound Texas Eagle
Union Station, Joliet, Illinois from the southbound Texas Eagle
Metra at Union Station, Joliet, Illinois from the southbound Texas Eagle
Ice bound at home with Juneau the Wonder Husky!
NOTE: USE THE REFRESH/RELOAD feature to ensure that you load the Pix in order of the captions!
Enjoy! See ya in the 'morrow . . .
Tom
CLOSED ON SUNDAYS!
More Chicago Pix . . . .
Chicago, Chicago - My kinda town!
Chicago - a mid-west city!
Chicago "gawking"
Chicago has class! (and glass)
Chicago River
Chicago River bridge
Chicago Union Station
More later (maybe)!
CLOSED ON SUNDAYS -
We do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!
Some Pix from my trip to Chicago with Wolfman Pete last month . . . . It was a rainy start to the very early morning departure! And if you recall, we returned to the beginning of three waves of ice storms. Quite the adventure! Here are some "vanilla" shots to get it all started . . .
Amtrak LINCOLN SERVICE at boarding time in St. Louis
Amtrak LINCOLN SERVICE getting ready for departure in St. Louis
Amtrak LINCOLN SERVICE business class - that's the Wolfman!
Amtgrak LINCOLN SERVICE arrived Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station great hall
Chicago Union Station "THE STAIRWAY" to the great hall - that's the Wolfman!
Should make note that the great hall isn't being used for anything fuctional. All Amtrak and Metra services are located elsewhere within the cavernous confines of Union Station.
More later . . . .
For the last Sunday Photo Day I have made it in on time for some Brunch
DOUG I will enjoy your drink tomorrow to celebrate my Bar Chander and the 22nd month of Our Place.
Thanks for the pics and the list of the locomotives of the Alantic Coast Line. I see on the list that the P-5a # 1519 has the largest driving wheels on the ACL of 6 feet 1 inch I guess the ACL had some hard grades.
TOM Thanks for the link to the Canadian Railway Museum. It looks like a new web-site the train whistle was a bit of a as I had the speakers on. I could not find a reference to the Brit locos but they have some fantastic locos there both steam and diesel and not to forget those great Trolleys.
Three good films on at the Emporium. I have not seen 'Throw Momma From The Train" and it will be good to see "Planes, Trains and Automobiles' again, it has been a while since I have seen it, and of course the Stooges.
Yes the 22nd month of Our Place tomorrow and it we should have over 400 posts at the new bar.
This week pics are from last year when I was travelling to Kirkwood where I met Tom and we went to the TrainWreck for the first time. The pics are taken at Jefferson City MO.
Amtrak loco #132 on the West Bound "Kansas City Mule". under the new schedule this train passes the Eastbound to the East of Jeff City but on this day the eastbound was running late.
While 132 picked up passengers it was passed by a UP frieght.
The eastbound "Ann Rutledge" Tom has posted a pic of the loco whwn it arrived in Kirkwood.It was a good trip we the train making up a bit of the lost time.
These pics should enlarge.
Pete
Even though the bar at "Our" Place isCLOSED on Sundays - We do observe Sunday Photo Posting Day!Now playing at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!
. . . Sunday, February 11th thru 17th: Throw Momma From The Train (1987) Starring: Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey & Kate Mulgrew - and - Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean & Kevin Bacon. SHORT: The Three Stooges - Saved By The Belle (1939).
Throw Momma From The Train (1987)
PLOT SUMMARY:
A bitter ex-husband. A put upon Momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off? Two men have someone they would dearly love dead; One his ex-wife who is making his life miserable, the other his domineering, nasty mother. What could be simpler than exchanging murders to avoid any possible complicity. Momma turns out to be a hard nut to crack, not to mention the guilt.
from: amazon.com
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion. All that Neal Page wants to do is to get home for Thanksgiving. His flight has been cancelled due to bad weather, so he decides on other means of transport. As well as bad luck, Neal is blessed with the presence of Del Griffith, Shower Curtain Ring Salesman and all-around blabbermouth, who is never short of advice, conversation, bad jokes, or company. And when he decides that he is going the same direction as Neal....
SHORT: Saved By The Belle (1939)PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly
The Stooges are fur salesman trying to sell coats in a Central American country prone to frequent earthquakes. Desperate to raise the funds to pay for their hotel bill, the boys start succeeding by selling pillows as shock absorbers, but the get arrested and are suspected of being spies out to kill the country's president.
from: threestooges.net
Enjoy! Tom
Denali Star - from my personal collection
CLOSED on SUNDAYs -
G'day Gents!
A mild beginning to this winter's day as the temps are in the high 20s (F) with the warm up bringing us into the 40s today. Then later we have a "watch" for a storm that may bring us a mixed bag that is supposed to end in snow by Tuesday. That's life in mid-continent USA! <grin>
Today is a mile-stone of sorts - our final Sunday breakfast - brunch - lunch (‘til 2 PM) and more significantly, the last of the Photo Posting Sundays here at the Bar by the Ballast.
Starting next weekend, look for Saturday as the day for ENCORES! ‘n Photo Posting! Sunday, this place will be closed up tighter than a tick (go ahead ‘n steal that one, Rob!). Of course your messages may still be dropped into the mail slots on either set of front doors - BUT - I won't be here at all to address ‘em.
Tomorrow, February 12th is the 22nd Month Anniversary for "Our" Place!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS!
Rob at 9:46 PM yesterday: Thanx for stopping in and as always, appreciate having our Ontario Connection with us!
Regarding the RDCs, I too added "passengers" to the ones that are on the pike (VIA Rail & BC Rail). The DAs are in my display case and will one day have some "people installed." I purchased a box of ‘em some time back and there's sufficient numbers for effect! Should you desire to get into the DCC aspect of it all, I recommend you communicate with "Fergie." He provided me with an abundance of info on the subject when I thought of converting. Then with the subway system, I figured perhaps I'd use DCC for it since the arrangement will be totally separate from the Can-Am. Anyway, he's a great source and of course, most willing to share knowledge.
Shane had recommended that book you mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I researched it for a "hard cover" and found it to be out of print. Thanx for the info . . .
Pete at 9:59 PM yesterday: Better late than never, eh Very good to see ya and having both the Chandler ‘n Assistant on board in the same timeframe is special indeed! Nothing like some OJT from the "man," eh <grin>
I'll have to make a point of finding out why the Canadian Railway Museum at Saint-Constant, Quebec is referred to by so many as "Delson." The first time I ever heard about it was from a long-gone Permanent Member of The Legion of the Lost - Chris Fournier, who also was the first customer at "Our" Place. His Pix "live" somewhere in the Ether of his trips to the museum. Anyway, all references I've found to date on the "web" refer to it otherwise. Oh well, what's in a name, eh <grin>
A URL for anyone interested: http://www.exporail.org/public/
Doug at 8:22 AM today: Good to see ya this morning! You didn't have to slip it into the slot, the doors are OPEN! <grin> Anyway, fine spate of Pix and associated info for the steam loco's of the ACL!
Painting duties Painting duties! What in the world Thought you were in a new home, good grief!!
Man, you've gotta rethink those PRIORITIES! Train Room comes way before things like painting, landscaping, paying bills, etc. Wuddathunk you already knew that! <grin>
Enjoy this FINAL Sunday Photo Posting Day!
Reminder: On Monday, 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 OJ they can handle!
Here's a short note I'll just slip in the slot. Busy as usual here. I'm getting over my cold and am now expected to resume painting duties, starting with the bathrooms and then going through the rest of the place. The bride keeps making decorating plans, which is fine by me. Especially the suggestion that we have a professional come in and take care of the windows in the great room.
Gotten behind the ball as far as keeping up with the doings here, as has been my pattern. Glad to see Lars and the Florida train material is continuing, especially since I was saving some ACL pix from the March 1947 Railroad Magazine for today. Still can't figure out how much of what he's telling us is bragging or confession! Howdy to Rob, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the special car pix (funeral etc.) you mentioned. Nice post on loco classifications.
Yes Tom, I am badly in need of a train room, but I have other things to square away around the new digs before I will be allowed to spend time and money creating it. You know how it is. Quite the Wikipedia article on the Hinton train wreck. Thanks for sharing it. Nice RDC ENCORE yesterday too. Do you like RDCs?
Congrats to Pete on his semi-permanent full-time part-time elevation to the exalted position of Assistant Chandler! Put me down for a celebratory round when the bar re-opens!
I see that Cm3 had a trivia question, quickly answered by Tom. Very impressive descriptions of the Railroad Magazine front covers, which started with ....
Mike, who provided these and other URLs, along with information on locomotive designations.
Eric noticed the tender was backwards on my SP loco (later, so did James), which is something I did not do, but also didn't notice. My bride unpacked those models and put them in "my side" of the entertainment center, but I failed to notice anything was wrong. Good eyes!
Glad you liked the Zephyr material DL, and thanks for sharing some of your knowledge on so many subjects.
Well, this old man better get to work, so here are some Sunday Pix (last week as ya'll know)
A vampire bat came flapping in from the night covered in fresh blood and parked himself on the roof of the cave to get some sleep.Pretty soon all the other bats smelled the blood and began hasseling him about where he got it.He told them to go away and let him get some sleep but they persisted until finally he gave in."OK, follow me" he said and flew out of the cave with hundreds of bats behind him.Down through the valley they went, across a river and into a forest full of trees.Finally he slowed down and all the other bats excitedly milled around him."Now, do you see that tree over there?" he asked."Yes, Yes, Yes!" the bats all screamed in a frenzy."Good" said the bat, "Because I sure as hell didn't!"
Running very late this Saturday LEON so a round for all with my Bathams please
A great finish to yesterday at the bar, with ROB and JAMES.
ROB Thanks for the tips on the Chandling. I never knew the track gang got through so much beer on a Friday night though, hard work keeping the bar stocked but great for Tilla and the Cashinator and the TIP JAR.
I hope Tom and I will be able to see the LNER A4 at Delson as well as the London Brighton & South Coast 'Terrier' 0-6-0 tank loco that has been recently repainted. Apparently the latest Steam Railway mag as a special on the A4s and a piece on 60010 at Delson, if and when it arrives here.
Many thanks for the ALCO/MLW locomotive designations, very helpful for one new to the North American diesels, definately one to keep and I will look forward to others in the series.
JAMES Great to see the cable is fixed and you are back with us.
Glad you liked the pics of the Bluebell. There is indeed a lot of steam running in Britain, although it was sad to see all those branch lines close in Britain in the 1960s it did give rise to the many preservation societies who now run steam trains over some of the closed lines. It also was very lucky that Dai Woodham's Scrapyard at Barry in South Wales did not scrap the 200 steam locos and they were able to be saved of which over half of them have steamed again.
Hopefully the SOO pacific will steam next year, it will be good to see the photos.
Many thanks for the Chessie System info I found it very interesting.It was sad to read of loco #2101 being damaged in the roundhouse fire.I seem to remember reading quite a while ago about a roof of a museum in a roundhouse collapsing and causing a lot of damage. I think it could have been a B&O Museum.
I have seen a very few CSX locomotives here on Union Pacific tracks, but never when I have the camera with me.I dont suppose there are any locos working with the Chessie livery still.
Thanks again for finding out about the picture.
LARS Great to see you in. I know exactly how you feel about the Shopping.I think if it was in the wedding vows "Do you take this woman shopping every Saturday" there would be far less marriages
Thats a good idea to put your new and elegant bar in the Penthouse Suite although I have not had the pleasure of being in there, and I don't suppose I will unless Tom sets a British railway quiz and DL does't beat me to the answer.
I hope PHIL will still look in the bar when you have returned home.
TOM Sorry about the late hour it as been one of those days.
I see what you mean about Named trains to the general public, but I am glad Amtrak are still using them. I still get a kick about traveling on a train called the Missouri Mu
Good evening Leon, I see that you are barley still awake this evening. i'll trouble you for a keith's oh and maybe some of the sauteed mushromms if there ios any left over from steak night.
Tom-I'm glad that the Alco piece yestreday was boss approved figured it would be right up most peoples alleys.Not a bad thought to combine the weekend fun again seems like the logical thing to do, you need at least a day off as well.at least we won'y have Al throwing those really long and heavy epistals through the mail slots anchored by rocks anymore ( even Boris couldn't keep up with the breakage )
The RDC I picked up is the 9058 at well. I liked it particulary becuase it's in the original marroon paint job with the yellow warning chevrons on the ends matches my CPR RDC 3's scheme exactly, they run well together, I'm in the process of adding a few paying customers to it's interior.Have you seen the new rapido trains passenger cars. CP marroon, CNR supercontinental and the later grey and black schemes , VIA blue lines and two different ONR schemes, they are nuts on perfect for the Candian prototypes. NYC and PRR cars are comming soon from them as well, along with fully operational sound equiped Turbo trains in all te various paint schemes.
Enjoyed reading the BCR RDC story again, I can't remember if I told you or not but railfare books has done another printing of the "Self propelled railcars of the CNR " it will cover doodle bugs early gas electrics and RDC's, price isn't too bad either about $39 CDN for the softbound I'd add about $15 for the hard copy.
I don't know what to tell you about the NHL. At leasst the games are entertaining again, I'll leave it at that. I still think there are about 12 teams too many
James-Great comback with the C&O piece as always fits in well around thie her joint.
Lars-Yup I'm back with at least a bit of normalcy ( whatever that is ) knocking on wood I haven't had any forum issues for about a good three weeks now.Seems like your shopping trips must be a pennance for something.
I could go for a Rendezvous in Plattsburg, close enough to alot of rail actuivity among other things it would be interesting. It's nice to hear that you are getting to see alot of your old mates, thats an important thing I should expect.As alway's we'll keep your stoll warm for you, and one for Phil should he want to use one
Rob
Go ahead and take off for the rest of the day, Ruth. I'll handle things 'round here 'til Leon comes in. Really another slow Saturday.
Good to see Manager Lars again. Quite a narrative run down on "things" in the Keys and expect he'll never be quite the same once this get-a-way is but a memory. LBL - Luxury Box Lars that fits!
Two comments: Yes, I am going to roll the Sunday Pix Posting into Saturday. Tomorrow will be our FINAL Sunday for Pix. The bar will be CLOSED up tight on Sundays with only those messages rolled up and slipped through the mail slots on either set of front doors accepted for Posting. Just the way it used to be - way back when.
Saturdays will be ENCORE! - and - Pix Posting Day! all beginning NEXT WEEKEND!
Regarding "The Manager's Bar" - whatever you prefer is fine with me. Using it in the Penthouse Suite will really add something special to that already intimate place high atop "Our" Place. I'm sure the guests will really appreciate the use of it. Many THANX!
Appreciate the regards from Phil 'n tell him we're pretty much "set" for Rendezvous sites and years. I expect next year - IF - we still are on the Forums, we'll head up to Chicago. I'll be pleased - IF - we can make it through May of THIS YEAR! Wouldn't mind a visit to Marathon in the Keys and also would enjoy seeing Plattsburgh as well. Perhaps not bona fide Rendezvous sites, but visits nonetheless. Who knows, eh
Just curious, what type of vessel does Phil have And were you the "Engineer" Did he keep you below decks where all good "snipes" belong <grin>
ENJOY the shopping with your Mrs. - methinks she's "onto" YOU! Just a senior citizen version of "sitting in the corner" for being CAUGHT! <grin>
An Email has been sent to all planning on attending our 2nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis this May.
I checked the Birthday Watch List and there aren't any dates coming up - next one's are in March - the 13th is Doug 'n the 31st is Lars!
Here's a couple of Pix from my "collection" that haven't been seen at this joint in some time . . .
Mt. Robson - Highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies at 12,972 ft/3,953 m. Taken from the observation dome of VIA Rail's Strathcona Park Car - eastbound "Canadian."
Mt. McKinley, highest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet (6,194 m)
Taken from ARRs southbound Denali Star on the observation deck of their Gold Star Service ultra dome car.
Enjoy!
G'day Cap'n Tom & fellow travelers at the bar!
My, my, this place appears to be deserted as the noon hour approaches. Ruth, my deAH, I'll take a JD on the rocks 'n a Lars Special - a ham ‘n Swiss, mustAHd ‘n buttAH with two large pickles form the barrel. Of course a saucer of brine for Tex, a tray of seed for Awk, ice cubes for Frostbite and a small jar of pickled pig's feet for Boris! Oh yes, a round for the house - whenever we get some business!
Phil and I made our round trip to Key West aboard his boat and it was a fun trip. Got together with another of our former shipmates down there and spent a nice afternoon swapping tales of this & that. He and his wife will be coming up to Marathon before we leave, so there will be more opportunity for our version of a rendezvous.
The Mrs. returneth late yesterday afternoon. She put her ‘stamp of approval' on things back home and feels better for it. She also felt that our daughters-in-law shouldn't have to bear the brunt of the care for weeks on end. Giving them a break was behind the trip. Anyway, she's back and I'm on good behavior!
Back for a just a few comments on this Saturday as my Mrs. has "things" planned for me today in this Florida paradise. Wonder what in the world she thinks I could "do" down here in someone else's home Oh NO! Shopping. That's IT! She wants ME to take her SHOPPING. Arrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh, no way Jose!
Cap'n Tom, I've given considerable thought to the placement of "The Manager's Bar" and have a request to make. I think it would be far better placed in the "Penthouse Suite" and I'd like to donate it for that purpose. Really. Putting it over in the corner where it's dark will most certainly take away from the ‘ambiance' of this joint. After all, it is just a bit "over the top" in elegance and hardly fits with the "early Mentor" motif in furniture and other trappings of the bar. <grin> So, I will arrange to have it installed atop this building inside the "Penthouse Suite" for use by those who are fortunate enough to "win" a night or two of use, or for those who somehow sneak the keys away without notice!
Now, I'm NOT guilty! Got that There have been NO confessions or other statements to implicate myself in this "soap opera" whirl wind of a tropical liaison. Not me, didn't do it. In the words of a recent President, "I did not have . . .. . . " oh fuhgedaboudit!
So, when are you going to change the weekend format for "Our" Place Figured you'd combine the Saturday ‘n Sunday stuff pretty soon. As mentioned earlier on, I think it's really a good idea and why not We simply haven't the following anymore on weekends. Saturdays appear to be the logical choice for Encores and pix. Go fer it, mate!
I recall reading that trip of yours aboard those RDC's. Good story and you're fortunate to have had such an experience. BC Rail was a first class operation and I was saddened to learn of their demise. Also that Hinton collision story is rather sobering, huh Just like out at sea, a collision surely can ruin one's day (and career!).
Been noticing the appearance of Rob now ‘n then and I hope this means a return to some degree of regularity. Not talking about laxatives, mind you, just speaking of presence here at the bar!
Got your e-mail on the Rendezvous, Cap'n Tom, and I'm a "go" for whatever you set up! Hotel arrangements look fine to me. I'll get a reply out shortly . . . .
Some interesting stuff from all the guys and it's gratifying to note that we haven't been totally abandoned. Eric is still with us at Fort Courage <grin>, CM3 I'm NOT Shane! came through with a "double header" for us on Friday as did James!
Eric, that book cover with the crowd at the station was taken upon the arrival of the first train into Key West.
Really enjoyed the gobs of input on the 4-8-2's and associated posts for the FEC and so on. Great week's worth of most relevant and interesting material!
Then of course Pete, our Asst Bar Chandler keeps us interested through his always fascinating and inclusive posts and in particular responses to DL. So, we may not have the numbers any longer, but we surely have the nucleus, huh
Of course, didn't mean to slight Mike, who has one into the "silent mode" or Doug from his sick bed. Both have kept up their respective "ends" and have done so in fine form! Speaking of posts that is! I wouldn't know, and don't care to know about the "other"!!
Spent a bit of time going through all of those Urls from Mike and read all of the stories from Doug. So I'm caught up!
So gents, good to spend a bit of time with y'all and hope that I can make it back for some pix tomorrow. Not sure, but we'll see. I expect we'll have one more weekend down here, then we head back north. It's a great place for relaxation.
Phil sends his regards to the gang at "Our" Place and laments that we haven't an operating railroad down here to attract you guys to. A rendezvous in the Keys! Now that would be different, huh Plattsburgh on the other hand wouldn't be all that bad, but surely not in winter! <grin>
Ruth, I'll have a JD on the rocks, then I'm off to do the bidding of "the boss!" Ah, domesticated retired life!
ENCORE! Saturday - ENCORE! Saturday first Posted on page 143 of the "original" Thread
Here's a Post from "my" past with another thread that may be of interest here. Definitely a tale of Classic Trains! I don't know why, but as of late, I've been thinking about an RDC (Rail Diesel Car) trip I took with my wife and a couple of friends back in very early spring of 1999. We were visiting Vancouver, BC and on what was supposed to be an "off day" - (they do what they want, we do what we want), I looked into booking a trip aboard BC Rail's "Cariboo Prospector" (that IS the way they spelled it) from North Vancouver to Lillooet, BC. The round trip was to take the entire next day with a 7 AM departure and return at 9 PM. When the other couple found out what I had in mind, they too wanted to come along. So, I booked the four tickets and off we went. The consist awaiting us that chilly March morning was four RDC's - from my pictures, it appears that we had two RDC3's and two RDC1's. The livery was the blue/white striped with blue red heralds. For those who may not know, an RDC3 was designed as a combined passenger, baggage-express, and mail car. Over the years, BC Rail (formerly Pacific Great Eastern Railway) had these cars "rehabed" to provide a food preparation area in the baggage area. The coach portions were outfitted to include swing down tray tables (similar but larger that what the airlines use) along with much more comfortable seating than I recall when commuting aboard the Boston & Maine's RDC's back in the 1960's. The RDC1 was initially designed to seat 89 passengers. BC Rail's version appeared to be about the same, but with the upgraded seating. Our seats were in the RDC3 for both legs of the journey. That morning was a gloomy, low overhanging cloudy start to the day. As we wound our way out of North Vancouver and followed the route to Squamish, I was a bit saddened that my wife would not get the beautiful view of the inlets off of Howe Sound. Really a picturesque place to see ...... From the train at Squamish we could see the industry of the area along with a couple of steam loco's (and I'm sure many of you will provide commentary on those!!). As I recall, only a relative handful boarded and off we continued to Whistler, gaining elevation as we got into the mountains. What scenery! This was becoming a great day - as the sky cleared up almost as soon as we got into higher elevations. Waterfalls, gorges, cascading mountains - all of it at about 8 mph - as the engineer slowed the train to permit picture taking. Really something to see and keep etched in the memory banks (and of course, photo albums!). We had about a 10 minute stop at Whistler - so I got off the train with my friend's wife (who was in dire need of a cigarette) whereas I wanted to snap some photo's of the RDC's (what else!). Surprise, surprise! There was about 4 feet of snow awaiting us - of course the platform was cleared - but the snow was all around us. Absolutely wonderful to see and experience - and the temperatures were more than tolerable. I wanted to stick around a bit, but the RDC's sounded the horn and we climbed back on board. Now, I could go on and on and on about everything we saw along the way to Lillooet, but let me just say that the descriptions would somehow all sound alike - breathtaking, beautiful, stunning, great, fantastic, etc. ...... About 45 minutes south of Lillooet, we passed by two large glacial lakes - Anderson and Seton lakes. With sheer cliffs dropping nearly straight down to the water, we all marveled at just how those mountain goats managed to get where they were (much less back to where they came from)!! Unbelievable. Each lake has a story connected with it - perhaps for another session (unless someone wants to "jump" in to expound on them a bit ......) Lillooet sits in a valley and the town is within reasonable walking distance from the train station, which by the way is a great place to see. We had about 2 hours before the return trip, so we headed into town to see the sites. We learned that Lillooet's history really goes back to the "gold rush" days when this was the staging area for the hordes of people heading north to stake their claims. We also met some very friendly and forthcoming folks who were more than willing to answer the questions so many had. My wife and I decided to hike up one of the hills - all developed - just to get some photo's looking down on the town. Glad we did, for those pictures really are now keepsakes. One of the people we met came out of her house and asked if we had "see the bear?" Hmmmmmm - apparently there had been a bear meandering around, but had not been seen for about an hour or so. That was comforting[:0] The return trip was also something to remember, but alas, much of it was in dusk then darkness. The meal served on board and at our seats was fantastic. We had a choice of entrees and the food was plentiful, hot, and tasty. Forgot to say the same about our breakfast ....... Well, BC Rail no longer runs those RDC's or anything else. The trains all the way to Prince George (Lillooet is about half way) no longer run. Sad times for many along the route. I know, from friends we have in BC, that it was a heated debate right up until CN took over ...... The RDC's? Well, they've been "dispersed," another way of saying "sold" and from the best of what I've been able to ascertain - have all seen much better times. A couple have been relegated to tourism trains in the U.S., others as spare parts, and one or two either have or are supposed to wind up in a RR museum. There had been a rumor that VIA Rail wanted to purchase them, for the "Malahat," but apparently that fell through - budgets being what they always are - "insufficient"! So, that's it! Another chapter in riding Canadian Passenger Railroads comes to a close. But - wait, not so fast. My model railroad - Can-Am layout - has a mountain line. It is a point-to-point run, with LifeLike Proto 1000's RDC's in the BC Rail livery, making the run whenever I want them to! Even have mini-versions of Anderson and Seton Lakes!
See ya'll later! Tom ENCORE! Saturday - ENCORE! Saturday
Another winter's morning, no snow, but temps were at 12 (F) as we made the trek with Juneau the Wonder Husky ‘round the "mean streets" of our subdivision! <grin> Expected to remain below freezing today, with a warm up on the way for tomorrow.
Saturday at the bar means rest ‘n relaxation along with a mug of hot coffee, fresh pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery case along with a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from the Menu Board!
Pete at 7:13 PM yesterday: A rather long period between customers, but always glad to have our Assistant Bar Chandler, Wolfman Pete on board!
No argument at all regarding the "prize" for Shane's "quiz" - Eric may claim it. I'll remain content KNOWING that mine was FIRST! <swg>
Nope - I have no idea regarding the most popular wheel arrangements for the "Mountain" locos in North America. I'll leave that to the steam fans to address . . .
Named trains probably hold far less significance, much less relevance, to those who travel the rails today. Of course there are exceptions, but speaking in general terms, since most of us use the airways rather than the railways, those names are simply "garnishments" and most people I know NEVER eat the parsley! <grin>
We have an arrangement with the Mentor Village Day Academy for employees at "Our" Place. So all you need to do is check with the "headmistress" - Claudette - and she'll take good care of you! <ooooooooh> Boris is still working toward achieving his certificate in ‘puter destruction instruction . . . he's rather "hard" with his "toys" you see. <groan>
Regarding your layout thoughts: Is there a place where Irish ‘n British rail converged Meaning perhaps at a ferry landing That might be a good thing to consider as the focal point for your layout. Then you could "get away with" having a bit of both in terms of locos ‘n rolling stock.
Rob at 10:46 PM ‘n 11:34 PM yesterday: Good choice for a Dominion Atlantic RDC1. LifeLike of Canada did a fine job with those and I've got two (as you know) from my trip to Dartmouth/Halifax when I hooked up with "Fergie" . . Dayliner # 9058 ‘n 9059. Good price too, especially in CDN $$$. I think mine came out to just about that price in US $$$, so they were more in yours at the time. Anyway, fine looking machines and they run great as well. Good luck with it!
Fine advice for our Assistant Bar Chandler - I'm sure he'll put it to fast ‘n frequent use!
I'm still somewhat baffled by the NHLs decision to separate the Maple Leafs out of the old Norris Division. Those rivalries were great. We still have the Red Wings ‘n Blackhawks, (two of the original 6) but Toronto is sorely missed. I think I understand what "they" were trying to do, but I honestly believe they screwed both franchises with that realignment. Didjanote that the Blues beat the Red Wings 1-zip the other night Now that's an accomplishment fer sure, fer sure. Also noted that the Leafs dropped one to the Predators the same night by one goal. Hard to believe that Nashville is going so well, much less "in" the NHL!!
Really enjoyed your latest Classic Diesels as I like ALCOs as well! Well done, Mate!
James at 11:33 PM ‘n 11:47 PM yesterday: A fine "rebound" Post from you, Sir!
Not much to say about the layout other than I enjoy it and am glad you and others do too. It's one of those creations from my "minds eye" that brings back memories of train trips here ‘n there (mostly there!) so that I can "relate" to pretty much everything in front of me. The scenes are separated by the mountain range so that one has to walk around the layout in order to see it all. Can't do that from one vantage point. Something a friend of mine had suggested back when I was in the planning stages. All of the "elevations" are on the flat. The scenery rises ‘n falls, giving the impression that the track does. Another thing picked up at one of the train shows in this area. Anyway, as with all layouts, it will NEVER be truly complete . . . but the major purchases have been made and when I "go" it will wind up with an organization where there are sufficient numbers of people to appreciate it.
Your 2nd visit was just as informative as the 1st and glad to see that you've ‘caught up'!
Chessie System "stuff" is always of interest ‘round here. We've run the B&O ‘n C&O on the "Railroads from Yesteryear" Tuesday Theme a few times. So, having the Chessie is a "neat way" of putting it all into perspective.
Reminder: Ruth has the bar from 9 AM until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing. Tonight is Steak ‘n All The Trimmings Nite - serving begins at 5 PM!
Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
Leon- I will have another coffee before the night is over with. Thanks, keep the change.
I am going to redeem my self of the days I have missed with this.
Pete asked for this awhile back.
THE CHESSIE SYSTEM!
The Chessie System was a holding company that owned three American railroads, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), and the Western Maryland Railway (WM), from 1972 until 1987, when the B&O and C&O were merged into CSX Transportation. In 1980, Chessie System merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form Jacksonville, FL based CSX Corporation.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Chessie System was the creation of Cyrus S. Eaton and his protégé Hays T. Watkins, Jr., then president and chief executive officer of the C&O. A chief source of revenue for the Chessie System was transportation of coal mined in West Virginia.
The signature symbol of the Chessie System was its "Ches-C", a large emblem incorporating the outline of the C&O's famous "Chessie" the kitten logo. The Ches-C was emblazoned on the front of all Chessie System locomotives, and also served as the "C" in "Chessie System" as emblazoned on the locomotive's flanks. Chessie System locomotives were painted yellow, vermilion, and blue. The Chessie System itself did not own any locomotives or other rolling stock; rather, a locomotive would be placed on the roster of one of the three component railroads. While all three companies shared a common paint scheme, actual ownership of the locomotive was denoted by a large "C&O", "B&O", or "WM" above the roster number. These markings could be found beneath the cab windows on either side of the locomotive.
THE CHESSIE'S FAMOUS LOCOMOTIVES!
Chessie had three famous diesel-electric locomotives in its fleet: B&O 1977 (an EMD GP40-2) was meant to celebrate the B&O's 150th anniversary (this locomotive became B&O 4100 and B&O 4163; for a short time there were two B&O locomotives numbered 1977), B&O GM50 (another EMD GP40-2) was painted gold to celebrate GM-EMD's 50th anniversary as a diesel locomotive manufacturer (GM50 got repainted in 1984 and became B&O 4164), and B&O 4444 (3rd to last GP40-2 owned by Chessie, last unit was B&O 4447) was the locomotive that pulled Ronald Reagan's 1984 presidential train through Ohio.
The Chessie System operated and exhibited a former Reading Railroad 4-8-4 steam locomotive (#2101) on a national tour as the "Chessie Steam Express," beginning in 1977 (also in celebration of the B&O's 150th anniversary). The 4-8-4 had previously been used as one of three locomotives pulling the American Freedom Train. The train was painted in the Chessie System motif and consisted of the locomotive, two tenders, and eighteen to twenty passenger and baggage cars. The locomotive was severely damaged in a fire in March, 1979 while stored in a Chessie System roundhouse. It has since been cosmetically restored, and is on display at the B&O Railroad Museum, in Baltimore, MD
So by the
Hello again Leon , I think another Keith's is in order while I drop off a bit o new info.
CLASSIC DIESELS # 38 LOCOMOTIVE DESIGNATIONS PT 1 ALCO / MLW
Reading Mikes post on the difficulty of the diesel locomotives designations lead me to doing a couple posts on the more widespread ones, so here goes. We will start with my favourite manufacturer of diesel locomotives ALCO / MLW.
As with most locomotive builders the terminolgy for their products started out silmpe and then got a bit more involved as more and newer designs came online. ALCO created the designations and MLW their Canadian counterpart for ttte most part carried through te same designations for their designs with the occational differences as the two companies gradually became separate entities. I'll attempt to unraval the designs. Most likely I'll miss a few so apologies ahead of time.
The first basic engines were the early switchers and cab units designed to compete with EMD's early offerings.
DL109 / 110's were passenger cab units introduced by ALCO to compete with EMD's early E units in the earlyb 40's. These units were built exclusivly by ALCO and were sold only to US roads.
HH660 and HH1000's were the first end cab switchers built by Alco again just before the war. The HH stood for High Hood as the hood was the same height as the cab the number differences were the HP rating of the enginbes themselves 660hp or 1000. again these units were only built by ALCO for US companies.
S1,S2,S3,S4 & S6 locomotives were the frist conventional switch engines,also some of the most popular of their creations with units being built in the US and by MLW in Canada. The S1,S3's were 660 hp units with the S2's and S4's being 1000hp units. The S6 ( built only by Alco ) were 1000hp unit but used the new 251 engine . In Canada additional enhine types were built the S11 using the old 537 motor and 800hp the S13 using a 1000hp 251 and the RS23 a 1000hp 251 but these units had road trucks an AAR type B similar to the regular RS type units.
The FA 1 FB 1, FA2 FB2 were the 1500 then 1600 hp cab units built to compete with EMD's F series, all used the new 244 engine.Passenger units with the 244's were designated the FPA 2's and FPB-s' these caame equipped with steam generator equipment for passenger car heating.they were built by both ALCO and MLW with MLW going one further with the design bringing out the FPA-4's engined by the more reliable 251 engine. The A's were cab wquiped the B's were cabless boosters.
The Pa1, PB-1,PA2,PB2 and PA3's were the six axles passenger units built by ALCO only for the US roads, and are agueably the most beloved of the early passenger engines.
The next series of ALCO locomotives also using the 244 power systems were their RS series.The RS1 was a 1000hp unit the first true road switcher it was followed by the 1500hp RS2 and the 1600hp RS3.Sub vrients with and A1A-A1A configuration were also built the RSC2 and RSC3 locomotives. Later CC trucked units were built in the RSD4 and 5 series. The RS1's and the 6 axles varients were only made by ALCO MLW bult RS 2's and #'s for the Canadian roads. The next unit in the RS family was the 1800HP RS11 and it's six axles runningmate the RSD12 built only for US roads by ALCO. In Canada MLW built the RS10's with 1600HP 244's and the RS18 with the 1800hp 251 engines instead.
After the RS11's Alco concentrated on using the 251 engines only.The RSD15's were the frist of this new batch, followed by the RS27's ( 2650hp } RS32's (2000hp) and the RS36's (1800hp) it was found that these older units were not selling well in the face of the latest EMD and by this point GE locomotives co none of those units were built by MLW for Canada. A new more modern series the centruy line was designed.
The first of the centruy locomotives brought in a new hp wheel arrangement designation to ALCO. first came the C424's C for Century 4 being a B-B truck arrangement and 24= 2400hp, next came the C425 both were built for both canada by MLW and for the US by Alco. The first big Alco came out at the same time in the form of the C628 C= century series 6= C-C truck arrangement and 28=2750hp. The C628 were not built for canada by MLW. mext came the C420 ad the C430's a 2000 and 3000hp road switcher built only by ALCO for US customers. the next big alco's were the C630's and C636's 3000-3600hp six axle units built for teh US market by Alco, then ALCO went out of the locomotive business. MLW continued on and changed the designations for te lates t big alcos to M630 and M636 M=Montreal built. This was followe dwith a one off AC traction M640 for CP only ( 4000hp unit ) and a M630W model for BC rail only it was a 3000hp M630 with a full width wide cab nose.After 1974 MLW was purchased by Bombardier and continued to build locomotives mostly for the Canadian market. the first was the M420 a four axles 2000hp switcher with a full width cab and nose alter it was redesigned as the HR412 still 2000 hp but with neew microprocessor controls and the final was the HR616 which was a 3000hp full coweled six axle road switcher.The LRC passenger locomotives were also produced for VIA rail by Bombardier in the late 70's and early 80's. By 1986 Bombardier discontinued locomotive production.
Not a complete list but I hope it's helpfull
Leon- Could I get a coffee for now, thanks.
Tom-If Boris could come and take care of my problems, that would make things so much easier. The only thing that wouldn't strike me so happily would be the fact that he bangs on the computer. The Laptop probably wouldn't appreciate it so much.
Idiot of the week That's double the dots. Unbelievable. How dumb do you need to be
EL and L. Well, I will have to remember that. I didn;t know that they had different spellings for the "EL"/"L." Interesting.
I got a look at the different drawings of the E-units. I think the Atlantic Coast line E7 was the most impressive. I like the Purple and the white. It just looks good. Thanks for sharing.
The Florida Special. I am impressed. That is the longest post I have seen from you. And what a lot of information too. The pictures were also really nice. Thanks for the article, it was great. Enjoyed it throughly. Five thumbs up!
I really liked the layout pics. Your layout is really quite nice. The passenger trains look great! Thanks for sharing.
Doug- I liked the picture of you with Woodstock Willie. Nice picture. The 20th Century railroading was article was interesting. I really like the picture of the old time steamer from the front. Reminds me of the William crooks here in Duluth. I also enjoyed the article of the Nebraske Zephyr. That E5 is one of a kind. I think, if my memory services me correctly, that that's the only one left in exsistence. I think. It's a precious locomotive. Thanks for sharing.
I also liked the pictures of the Florida Speacial. As I have read about it, it must have been train ride of a lifetime. It sounded like a fun ride.
I got a look at the model pics you had posted. The two steamers, one Reading and the other Southern Pacific, Are really nice looking. But I noticed that the tender on the SP steamer was backwards. Did the railroad build them like this or was it placed like that? Just wondering. Otherwise they look great.
Pete- I am afraid to say that I have no info on the Chessie system passenger train. But I will have to put it on my agenda, so I can find some info on it. I will get back to you on that.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures of the Bluebell railway. It's really cool to see some steam still running. Unfortunatly, I can't see much of that anymore. But some good news has risen. Here in Duluth, a 4-6-2 Pacific SOO line steam locomotive has found it's home and we hope to have it running here by next fall. So I will have to get pics of that for you guys.
Mike- There was a good selection of pics from you. From page 17 you had posted a few pics. I really enjoyed the pics with the Milwaukee road Hiawatha passenger train and the city of Chicago. Those were some really nice pictures. I also liked the Super Chief pictures. Very cool.
Some more of your recent photos were of the railroad magazine and the Florida East Coast oldies. Those were some of my favorites out of the group. The rest were also really nice. Thanks for showing.
Eric- Alright 50 to 60 miles. It was 4 years ago. And I guess I remember it being shorter than what it was. But what ever the case it was fun. Seeing the four Alco PAs sitting there idling was quite a sight. I will always remember that classic "Galup" of the Alco engine. I could listen to that all day if I wanted. they look and sound so great. I have a question for you. When you took the ride, did you have the Alco's on the train, or steam? And how fast do they get going?
BTW: I also like the X2000 sitting at Palmbeach.That is such a nice looking passenger train.
Good evening Leon , I think a keith's and perhaps some of the assorted peanuts and pretzels that we have as finger foods around here please. Also here's a bit of extra change for the coal scuttle as well ( no Boris no transylvanian nickels this time )
Tom-it's stilla wfull even after all these years to read about that Hinton wreck. I noticed that the History channels Disasters of the Century episode about it was on again last week.Hopefully the lessons have been learned, always hard to predict tough.
Yes I thought that it's a bit odd that the Blues haven't had a visit from our guys in four years, though by the looks of the schedule , the teams haven't played at all since 2005. Thsi every two years thing is for the birds, espeacially with two teams with the "past" that they have.
Nice to see that Dell fixed you up, still one wonders allowd at the "help desk" help one gets from any company anymore.Idiot of the week #3 was another good choice too BTW.
I was thinking of you this afternoon when I was on my way to work, I popped in at the Hobby shop just down the street from my store. They were having a sale on their existing stock of LL RDC's. I picked up a dominion Atlantic RDC 1 for $59 CDN, a deal I couldn't refuse, it will run well with my CPR RDC 3 in the same marroon ended paint scheme.
Pete-Ypu will find that the chandlering hours will grow on you after a while ( not unlike Boris's sent when you are doing an in reefer inventory with him )As to getting the drink temperatures right for Boris's clan it;'s simple. Whatever they want needs to be at room temp for ten minutes then five the bottle can or whatever to Boris and he will hold it under his armpit for an additional 10 minutes and it will be perfect. See not that hard at all
Eric-I would say that the first order of business when you win powerball is to buy a new house.Oh and if you don't mind me helping you spend your millions.. VIA rail still has a few RDC's on sight for sale which would go along well with the business car
CM3-A couple fine post from you as well great info on steam locomotives from the hills thank-you
Doug-Loved the cliff hanger, can't wait for the next installment.If I recolect correctly I think our museum may have one or two of those "brake clubs" in it's collection, along with some switching poles.
DL-Nice to have you back again and with the usuual high caliber post I can't remember if you made it out to Delson or not when you were in Montreal last year if you did I imahgine that you took in the LNER locomotive that they currently house.
Mike-Nice to see that you were in a typing mood again good info and some interesting urls as always.
A pint of Bathams XXX, as it is the weekend, please RUTH and some Steak and Fries for later.
A busy run up to the weekend at the bar.
MIKE Thanks for the info on the 4-8-2s and the great links.Liked the pic of # 601 "City of St Albans", There was an LMS pacific with the same name. I gather though that the naming of locomotives was not as popular in North America as it was in the UK
Great old Florida East Coast pics and the History of the Railroad link is well worth reading, how they carried on building the line, after the hurricanes and the loss of life is remarkable.Liked the pic of the surveyor on the wooden stand and his boat.
Many thanks for the Railroad Magazine coversand thanks CM3 for the details of the covers.I could not see the year on the covers, are these magazines in your collection.
Enjoyed the description of the lines in Fayette County.Am I right in thinking of those lines just three are in operation today .
JAMES.Hope you can get the cable problem sorted soon and you are back with us.
ERIC Looks like you and Tom will have to argue about the prize for CM3's quiz. That was a lot of 4-8-2s built. Do you know which was the most popular wheel arrangement in the U.S..
I am really hoping to get the layout set up as soon as the basement is in shape.
DL Great to see you inThanks for the info on Rob Foxon at Rugby, I will send Alan an e-mail.
That pic Mike posted is of Waverley station in Edinburgh.Although the pic is taken from a different angle and further back than usual. The Sir Walter Scott monument tower is on the left.What is different is the North British Hotel, just to the left of the station they are building the hotel which was opened in 1902 so that dates the pic pretty well. A great photo that is over 100 years old now. I have read that they are building two new platforms at Waverley now.
You are right about the 158 units any thing over 2 to 3 hours in one is too long . I think these units used to run a Manchester to Penzance via Hereford through service. I pity anyone who had to make the whole journey in it. I don't know if that service still runs.
What chance has the railways got when they increase the passenger numbers they have not got the rolling stock to cope, although there is stock storedSo they raise the fares to put people off going by rail. Madness.
On to better things.I'm glad you have joined the Friends of the S&C.It will be good if you can keep us up to date on the line. The last I heard there was an increase of frieght on the S&C although I haven't heard anything lately.As you say I think there would be good passenger numbers for a service from the East Midlands , possibly Leicester via Nottingham , Sheffield and Leeds and the S&C, if not all the way to Glasgow at least to Carlisle and a good connection north, although a fairly fast train stopping at only the major stations on the old Thames Clyde route in Scotland with decent stock would no doubt be appriciated.
Thanks for the round.
TOM I think I shall be OK as full time-part time assistant Chandler as long as it doesn't involve any typing, although it would be a good idea to join the class BORIS attends anyway.
Another good one of Idiot of the Week
Yes there were some really great names for trains on both sides of the Atlantic, sadly a trend that seems to have died out in the UK. If say, you was in Glasgow and you were travelling to say London, Aberdeen or Leeds doesn,t it sound better to say you are going on the Caledonian. Granite City or the Queen of Scots rather than the 4:00pm the 5:30 pm or the 1:15..
With the layout I was thinking of an Irish theme but with the apparent lack of Irish locos and stock availiable, I will probably have a rethink. It will depend on how much room there is.
All isn't lost - DL made it "in" before week's end with a marvelous submission! Back in rare form, indeed! Thanx for the round . . .
That stop at Levis, Quebec aboard the eastbound "Ocean" was quite the highlight, especially when in either of the dome cars. Just a spectacular light display from across the seaway. The 20-25 minutes passed very quickly without the train ever moving an inch. It was that captivating.
Yes, the route was pretty much on the southern bank of the Seaway, whereas today the train jogs a bit more south, far from the scenic views. Wondered what that area in Levis looks like today - thanx for the update. My guess is the station is long gone, and perhaps that's where the condos were constructed. Don't know, as the info I've amassed comes from VIA Rail employees who also lamented the loss of that CN right-of-way. I'm very thankfull that my bride and I had so many opporunties to view Quebec City from the dome . . . surely a highlight long gone from today's "Ocean," sans domes at that! Except of course during the "tourist season" with their "token" Park car for those willing to pay increased bedroom prices. <growl>
As much as I enjoy DMUs, and I DO, they really weren't meant for long-distance travel, although many a road used them that way. We took a most memorable journey from North Vancouver, BC up into the "hinterlands" of the Province aboard BC Rail's "Cariboo Prospector." (and yes - that's the way BC Rail spelled it!) Anyway, the train made a daily 12-hour run up to Prince George. On that day, we took it as far as Lilooet, pretty much in the center of BC. It was a wonderful experience - chronicled more than once on the "original" Thread. Perhaps I'll rerun it here for an Encore! Saturday . . . . The RDCs were in great condition materially and mechanically. We were served fine meals at our seats - breakfast 'n lunch going up and dinner on the return. Choices of entrees, etc. Just a fine experience and the food was far above 'airline' cuisine! <swg>
In retrospect, I suppose the trip would've been more complete had BC Rail used dome cars, for the scenery was (and is) breathtaking in places. BUT, the RDCs made it most worthwhile for me, fer sure, fer sure. Shortly thereafter, BC Rail was no more and the RDCs have been scattered about North America. Pity.Methinks the Pix you saw of the Can-Am are those from my RailImages account and not PhotoBucket. I'm guessing that the 'puter you are using doesn't have the most current browser to interface with PB, but with RI it's okay - for some strange reason. Anyway, glad they came thru and thanx for the kind words! The mountain run for my RDCs is patterned after the BC Rail route we experienced . . . in fact, everything on the Can-Am can be "traced' to a real rail journey taken by us in recent years (1990 thru present).
Not to worry, when it comes to the trip to Scotland, we'll take the sleeper for the "night run" and return in day light, as you 'n Pete have suggested.
Hope to see you next week after a most relaxing 'n enjoyable weekendl!
Hello Tom
Well I'll have a Harvey's bitter and a round for the house. Finally got time to call in properly!
I know there is some complaining about lack of visors, but I must say if you want to review a weeks posts there's plenty to keep you informed - I've still got a couple of pages to review.
First of all, and before I forget, a note for Pete:
Pete, I see from my Rob Foxon film schedule his night of railway films is in Rugby on 21st Feb at 19.30hrs at The Benn Hall (details from 0116 289 0531) - if any of your mates are interested I thought they might want fair warning. I must say I always enjoy his screenings of archive film and in my view they are not to be missed, always great film extracts from the classic era!
Anyway - back to business:
Tom - thanks for re-posting the Sherwood Forest oil stuff - I had heard there had been oil extracted here but no idea it was started under war time conditions, must have been a culture shock for the oil workers who came to help. I don't think that much was extracted, but I guess every drop was vital and saved imported oil, helping to reduce the risk to life of the Merchies otherwise having to bring it to us. Nice they tracked down one guy who was still alive to tell his story.
It occurred to me your run down of the Amtrak services at St Louis was not too bad for North America, I must say - when you see Mike's pics of the station though it must have been a spectacular building back in the day!
Levis - interesting info - when I was in Quebec last year I took the ferry across to enjoy the view (plus a ferry ride is always of interest) and realised the ferry dock on the Levis side was clearly an old railway building (still had a Via logo on it actually) - the line of route seemed to be a cycle way - well used in fact. I suppose The Ocean took a more northerly route to take in Levis?
Also - I got some pictures showing and guess what - it was your shots of the Can - Am train room - that is one layout to be proud of!
Lars - regaling us with holiday high life - all I can say is - this is off topic and no doubt you will be tweeted on your return sir <grin, grin> - seriously though, glad to hear you are enjoying yourself so much sir, nice to read your descriptions!
James - Class 442 does indeed source power from the third rail like the L - but that is more equivalent to our London Underground network in its role, with the former Southern Railway third rail system being a more mainline railway, capable of taking freight service too etc if required, so in some ways yours is a fair comparison, in other ways not, but you make an interesting point. I've ridden the L on a number of occasions and happen to think it is one of the world's great transit systems - and a superb way to see Chicago of course.
Doug - interesting info on the Nebraska Zephyr, and nice informative transcripts too. I enjoyed the story of the ‘Royal' streetcar.
Mike - Stylish picture of the Florida East Coast to compliment the other postings on that topic. The Coronation Scot loco you pictured is, as Pete says, being re-streamlined now - in fact there is a picture of the altered tender in my Friends of the National Railway Museum journal which just arrived.
Pete - do you think that picture of Edinburgh Mike posted was of the Waverley Station or perhaps Haymarket? It did not look quite right for Waverley.
Eric - You have done good research on the UK Class 185 DMU. The class 158 is a design dating from the late 1980s and is used on some long distance services on secondary main lines - I must say they are not that comfortable as they have too cramped seating for the job they are expected to do (ie you could be on one for 4 hours from east to west coast of England), and the air conditioning is not up to the job in hot weather - which being UK is not that hot anyway!
The Class 175 is a newer design, but has not proved so popular with operators - it was introduced soon after privatisation for semi fast services in parts of England, but I must say inside they are well designed with a good interior layout that is not at all bad.
You pictured a Swedish Class X3 saying it was built in the UK - I wondered who by? I had not seen it before. Perhaps you know the answer.
There is a big fuss building up here in the national media about overcrowding on certain services as the govt are trying to get operators to squeeze a quart out of a pint pot - more people are travelling but they do not want to incur the capital costs of new vehicle construction or leasing so many serviceable units are standing idle in storage whilst people are angry at short trains and congestion - this will need a fix in due course - but it is the result of having a notional private railway which is virtually under total govt control because the private operators want too much subsidy to run things and govt wants to pay less. This is also forcing fares up which has also had a lot of bad publicity recently. The politicians will only act though if they feel pressure at the ballot box I guess.
Pete - yes my early 80s trip on the Settle - Carlisle was indeed when the line was under threat - that was why I went to see it to see what all the fuss was about and I must say I loved the route and the scenic splendour. I have recently joined the Friends group that supports the line - they send out a very informative journal every quarter. Many stations on the line have been restored by this group as they have raised the money - recently they raised enough money to restore the traditional clocks on every station building on the line - very impressive.
That Peak hauled service you mentioned would indeed have been all that was left of the Thames Clyde Express (or its overnight counterpart). That was terminated in early 80s in run down of the route - and in fact to this day Nottingham has a very poor northbound service with only really the 2 car services running to Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool each hour, with nothing more than a snack trolley on board (occasionally not even that!). There is talk of a restored service to Leeds soon, but the idea of through trains to Glasgow is now long forgotten - a great shame - there would certainly be the market for a decent Intercity northbound service.
It was interesting to read Al's comments on the CN that you posted, by the way.
Also - I ‘d never have got that re-numbering on the Bluebell - seems strange idea to me but if it helps pull the money in so what!
I just thought - don't show Tom that Pendolino cab run or he may not want to ride the London - Scotland sleeper as I've been advocating! <grin>
Bye for now - I'll try and call in again sooner rather than later next time!
DL
Back from this round of visits to assorted "docs," and I've been "issued" a "pass" for the next three months. Looooooooookin' better . . .
Okay - to the business at hand. Is that CM3 The Shane Man! who has provided TWO excellent Posts this AM
Now, THAT's certainly worthy of note. So . . . as we said in the "service" - duly noted!
CM3 at 9:41 AM 'n 11:01 AM today: Oh, I'm NOT at all suprised that a contractor, sub-contractor or sub-sub-contractor would "think" that removing 5 windows in the dead of winter with the temps cold enough to freeze the hind end of the Devil himself is perfectly "ok." No one EVER said that THINKING has to be part of the things they do. <geesh> Smart move to make the purchase when the prices are lower, smarter to wait for installation at a later date. We did ours in early spring - just before the bugs came alive to do mating dances and the like and before the interminable heat sink that the mid-west can be. Good luck!
Co-winners Co-winners! Fine. What ever happened to first to answer Hmmmmm. I can live with it, but . . . <grin> Nice work, Eric - I think.
Excellent work with the amplifying info on those magazine covers provided via "silent
Mike" and his URLs. Well done!
LBL - aka: Luxury Box Lars. Hmmmmmm, wonder if that moniker will STICK Best have a
Nice spate of "fallen flags" from Kanawha (can-awwwwwwwwwwww) country. Definitely never heard of many . . . would be nice to dig up some Pix in the Ether for Posting here.
Many THANX for the two rounds 'n two sacks o' quarters for Herr Wurltizer's Coal Scuttle!
Later!
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please (we'll take a sandwich also - as long as it's not Boris's catch of the day), round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Here's something from approx. 1905 that I found as a set of notes. Thought you'd be interested in a snapshot of Fayette County, WV railroads back in the day - more than a few fallen flags here.
By 1920 Fayette County, West Virginia, had an extensive network of railroads. The following is a short description of these lines, where they went, and what they carried.
Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O)
The main line of the Chesapeake and Ohio was double-tracked along New River with one exception. Between Hawks Nest and Sewell, the eastward main line of the C&O was on the west side of the river, and the westbound main was on the east side of the river.
Nine branches of the Chesapeake and Ohio operated in Fayette County.
The Powellton Branch, completed in 1905, ran 8 miles from Mount Carbon to the head of Right Fork (2 miles above Powellton). This branch served lumbering and coal operations.
The Paint Creek Branch, which ran 20 miles from Paint Creek Junction (Kanwaha County) to Kingston, was finished in 1911. Less than half of the branch's mileage was in Fayette County. This was a busy stretch of railroad that served extensive coal mining operations. NOTE: Much of this trackage is visible from the WV Turnpike today, if you know where to look.
The Gauley Branch operated from Gauley Junction, 14.2 miles north to Greenedale (Nicholas County). The road was completed in 1894 and carried coal and lumber.
The Mill Creek Branch operated 3 miles from Hawks Nest to Ansted to serve several coal mines. It was finished in 1890, and built as a broad gauge railroad.
One of the more interesting branches on the C&O was the Keeneys Creek Branch (sometimes called Keeney Creek). This line, noted for its steep grades and switchbacks, operated from Keeneys Creek to Lookout (7 miles by rail). The branch was built in 1894 to serve several large coal operations. NOTE: Partes of ROW are visible
Two branch lines connected with the main line of the Chesapeake and Ohio at Thurmond. The Arbuckle Creek Branch, built in 1904 ran 5 miles between Thurmond and Minden. It served coal mines. The Loup Creek Branch was finished in 1894, It ran between Thurmond and Price Hill and also served area coal mines. NOTE: This is still operating today; owned by R.J. Corman
The Laurel Creek Branch covered 7 miles between Quinnimont and Layland. It was finished in 1904 to service coal mines. NOTE: Abandoned, but ROW is visible.
The 10 miles of track between White Oak Junction (on the Loup Creek line) and Lochgelly constituted the White Oak Branch. It handled coal traffic.
Kanawha and Michigan (K&M) - NOTE: Later NYC is now NS
Part of the K&M was in Fayette County. The main line of the Kanawha and Michigan extended from Gauley Bridge northwest to the Kanawha County line near Smithers Creek (Cannelton). The K&M was completed in 1894. It had a diverse traffic base including lumber, coal, coke, salt, chrome ore, and lime. There was one branch of the K&M in Fayette County. The Smithers Creek branch ran from Cannelton to Marting (approximately 5 miles) to carry coal from local mines.
Virginian Railway (VGN)
Only 28 miles of the Virginian ran in Fayette County from Deepwater to just below Herberton. There was a short branch of the VGN in Fayette County from Bishop to Oak Hill. It provided the VGN with a connection to the C&O. NOTE: Presently operated by NS
Manns Creek Railroad
The Manns Creek operated as a coal and lumber carrier for 10 miles between Sewell and Landisburg. NOTE: Driving trail at Babcock State Park.
Sewell Valley Railroad
The Sewell Valley operated from Meadow Creek (on the C&O main line) north and west to Rainelle and Wilderness (Nallon). The Sewell Valley, completed in 1916 was a lumber and coal carrier. NOTE: Still in operation
Kanwaha, Glen Jean and Eastern (KGJ&E)
The KGJ&E operated 15 miles of trackage from Glen Jean via Macdonald to Pax where it connected with the Virginian. A branch line ran from Macdonald to Tamroy. Completed in 1913, the KGJ&E was primarily a coal hauler.
Work safe
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee, please; bricks for the boots (again); round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Six degrees this a.m. So guess what happened yesterday? We ordered some windows for the house. Contractor agreed to store them until later this spring when we can get them installed. So they call the house yesterday and said, "We can install the windows tomorrow." Needless to say, Mom got them straightened out right quick. I guess they had a crew with nothing to do. Gotta love it; a foot of snow on the ground, windy, and they want to open five holes in the house.
Pete stopped by.
The 4-8-2 question got some response. We have co-winners; our ‘steamed proprietor and Eric.
Mike sent some material re C&O 4-8-2s. See if you can find some pictures of Rutland 90-93. These were built at Schenectady in 1946 and are an interesting contrast to the CV 600s.
Continuing on that vein, the shots of CV601 were beautiful. Then we had Coolidge - too much. The shot of the CV train crew beside the special's engine will give viewers an idea of how large these engines were.
Let's move to the Railroad Magazine covers. There's a lot here to look at. The November, 1937 issue was a nice color rendering of a DL&W 4-6-2; yes, they did come in that livery. The April, 1934 cover was a good portrait of VGN electrification in and around the GWCMA (Greater Wyoming County Metropolitan Area). The location for that picture was (is) not too far from beautiful, downtown Elmore, WV. The January, 1944 cover was SP in the Sierras and was a nice one as well.
The Sept 1945 cover was of a CNJ car float; the setting is, of course, NY harbor. The tug, however, has NYC-style paint, but the hull and superstructure really don't look all that much like a NYC vessel; maybe it's a generic picture of a tug. The October '45 cover is, no doubt included for LBL (Luxury Box Lars).
April, 1947 is a painting of Starruca viaduct at Lanesboro, PA. Been there - it's a most interesting place. The Erie was above and the D&H down below. The tag line on the cover mentioned that "King Anthracite" was tottering - actually, it had been tottering for nearly two decades. March, 1948was more D&H as near as I can tell (could have been Reading, but the front end of the locomotive was D&H style).
The August 1948 cover was of the C&Os steam turbine locomotive which was built for the Chessie (the train which never ran). The background is a generic version of a city. However, IIRC, there was at least one coal dock built as shown in the picture; I think at Clifton Forge. I don't have my C&O stuff with me so I am (Lord help us) relying on my memory.
February, 1949 was pure Erie - location was probably based on Meadville, PA although the coal dock was a little different. We also had generic DL&W, Erie material in the Sept. 1952 cover (or maybe CNJ). The location is New York again. I remember being at Hoboken Terminal ‘purt near 40 yrs ago and seeing similar skyline scenes. Power in the station included Es, GPs and RSs (all E-L).
Last (but not least) B&M item shown in the December, 1952 issue. Colors on the engines should have been red and gold, but I'll bet the color on the cover had changed as the red they sued back then was extremely unstable and sensitive to light. Yes, they were still using ball signals then.
Note to James - Make sure you back up whatever you do on your ‘puter; it'll vanish forever if you don't.
Again, thanks to all for sharing.
*Idiot of the Week #3
A man wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America walked into the
Branch and wrote this: "Put all your muny in this bag." While
standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began
to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the
police before he reached the teller's window. So he left the Bank of
America and crossed the street to the Wells Fargo Bank. After
waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo
teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he
wasn't the brightest light in the harbor. She told him that she could
not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of
America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a
Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking
somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and left. He was arrested a
few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.
Don't bother with this guy's sign. He probably couldn't read it anyway.
STAY ALERT!
They walk among us .. and they REPRODUCE ..!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A warmer start-up to the day here in mid-continent USA as the temps are already in the 20s (F).
Friday "specials" on the Menu Board in the form of <light> ‘n <traditional> breakfasts! The Mentor Village Bakery case is chock full o' good stuff! The coffee is freshly ground ‘n brewed, so draw a mug and kick off the end of the week right here at the Saloon by the Siding!
Have another morning appointment to keep, so I'll get right to the business at hand . . .
Pete at 5:33 PM yesterday: Glad you picked up on Doug's submission - it is well worth the read!
Thanx for the comment on the Hinton train collision - surely was a bad day for those pour souls, eh I'd appreciate checking out your book one day . . . thanx!
Dontchajustluv those names like "Elizabethan" <grin> Anyway, interesting link . . .
A word of advice regarding the planning and construction phases of model railroading. Try not to depend solely on books, magazines and other sources for plans. Let YOUR imagination rule! Then you can consult with these plans to adapt what you'd prefer to this ‘n that contained in layouts that appear to approximate YOUR ideas.
I've built more than a few pikes in my time and all had their shortcomings, as does the Can-Am. However, they ALL represented what I wanted at the time. To my way of thinking, this is the main criteria to meet - it MUST meet YOUR expectations, otherwise you've simply copied from someone else. Just my thoughts . . .
Bar Chandler has its origins from the Ship Chandlers found these days at major sea ports. They provide everything from "soup to nuts" (as in bolts) to the Captains of the vessels requiring supplies. The Bar Chandler in this establishment has similar responsibilities and must ensure that we NEVER run out (or dry) or the things that keep us up ‘n running as a tavern! I know you can handle it.
Hurry up 'n get well, Mrs. Wolfman!
Mike at 7:24 PM yesterday: Another educational extravaganza from "silent Mike" with a narrative followed by a spate of URLs for all to enjoy. Those Railroad magazine prices are something else - from 15 cents to 25 cents to 35 cents. Not quite like the progression of today, although the percentages just may be the same. Hmmmmmm. Anyway, interesting covers . . .
James at 9:26 PM yesterday: You've had quite a few of these kinds of situations. Looks like you're in need of help. Perhaps we can dispatch our "crack team" of ‘puter techs to check out your system. Boris has been taking classes over at the Mentor Village Day Academy and has completed the course of instruction in how NOT to destroy a keyboard. He does have a propensity to POUND instead of type. Then again, if you had hands like he does, POUND is perhaps more appropriate.
Just be sure to check through what you've missed and we look forward to a more responsive and inclusive visit.
Eric at 12:30 AM today: ‘puters - can't live with ‘em and certainly can't live without ‘em! Anyway, the "motherboard" got installed yesterday afternoon and all's apparently "well" with the laptop once again. No more "crashing" when in the wireless mode. <yay> Surely does pay to have the extended warranty. It's pretty much paid for itself in replacement parts since I've had this machine (2003). My guess is that I won't be offered an extension! <groin> These things have a "life" of 5 years and then "they" expect you to purchase another . . .
Anything you can share with us regarding the "dead man's pedal" will be most appreciated! That collision at Hinton is a sobering story, fer sure, fer su
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, how about an early breakfast? Yeah, Blackberry Pancakes!! That sounds good! Don't forget the whipped cream. Lots of it!
Thursday! Which means it is Friday tomorr... today! I love Friday afternoons!
Doug – Nice pictures of your models! But it seems to me like the SP #4328 (Class Mt-3) has its tender coupled the wrong way. Maybe Boris did something while you visited Our Place? I think manager Lars was very close to confess everything today. I am looking forward to the rest of the story, Hobos and Hot Cotton! Lars – All I can say is You have the right to remind silent..., you know what I mean. Besides that, Ruth is not very happy right now! You better bring something nice for her next time. Thanks for the book covers! You don’t happened to know at what special occasion the picture of the Florida East Coast Railway was taken? Rob – Glad to hear you have recovered from the cold! You have been missed! Thanks for the info on the Toronto and Buffalo! I am glad that at least so much of the trackage is still used!Tom – Glad you got help with your computer! It is very frustrating when things don’t work the way they are supposed to and you can’t figure out why. I am working real hard on winning the jackpot. I actually won $4 the other week! Yes, a private dome car sounds like a great idea. The little I have traveled in private cars (in Canada) made me long for more! I know, there is no guarantee a nice area will stay nice forever. As soon as I have found out what really happened these two evenings I’ll let you know. Interesting story about the Hinton train collision! The “deadman’s pedal’ was/is not that safe. It is too easy to manipulate.CM3 – OK, I’ll try to remember to keep my head down. But first I have to try to give the correct answers to your trivia question. The first railroad to get 4-8-2s built was C&O in 1911 built by Alco’s Richmond Works (2 locomotives, #316 and 317). The last one was Baltimore & Ohio 1948 (#5592-5594). B & O built those locomotives in its Mount Clare Shops. They rebuilt older locomotives. I know Tom already answered the questions, but he missed the builders! Hmm, I just noticed that Mike gave the name of the builder of the first 4-8-2s. But not the builder of the last ones! Pete – Thanks for the info on the Coronation! I never checked on the map exactly where York is but if it is about halfway the stop makes sense from more than one reason. I agree with Tom, your model needs some tracks to run on! A total of 2,201 4-8-2 Mountain were built. Mike – Thanks for all url’s! Both the first and the last 4-8-2 !! Fascinating pictures from the Florida East Coast Railway down to the Keys! James – Good luck in getting your internet connection back up and running! See you again soon!
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