"Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment!

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning Tom and Company!

Well not much on the go. I got the garden planted. the place cleaned up and we finally set sail yesterday.

Tom: Those GP38's have been in dire need of paint for the last five or six years. Makes you wonder what's under the hood?

We'll be out until July 4th when we will be back in Halifax. I have about four or five MR kit's to build including a Erie Steam Shovel so at least I will be busy in my off time.

Later Gents

Fergie

[siberianmo]

<w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/>

 

G'day Gents!

Friday has arrived, signaling the final work day (for many) with the promise of a great weekend looming. Why not begin your day with a hot mugga freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee along with pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery??? Consider a selection from our Menu Board for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast while you're at it!

Severe weather predicted for the night didn't materialize - HOO-RAY, YAA-HOO! It's overcast ‘n raining lightly with temps expected to drop throughout the morning and then some lovely weather predicted for the weekend.

Spent nearly 2 hours speaking with trolleyMAN Rob yesterday by fone . . . he called me! He's alive, working 6 days, promoted to store assistant manager, and sounding like the man we all have come to know and miss ‘round here. He passed his regards to one ‘n all and hopes to get back to a degree of regularity by the FALL!! Then of course that won't last long as the Christmas season will jump up to bite him in the caboose and the cycle begins again. Anyway, I hope we'll see him stop by now ‘n then (I've encouraged him to at least "pop" in once ‘n awhile) - but I'm afraid we've lost him as a "regular." I've given him an "Indefinite Leave of Absence," so we'll see what develops . . .

So, we now are in the "hunt" for a Chief Chef (again!)  or perhaps an Assistant . . .

 

Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative):

 

Mike at 8:27 AM Thursday - June 7^th: URLs from Silent Mike - and a round!

 

CM3 Shane at 12:56 PM Thursday - June 7^th: "Say the magic woid and the duck will come down . . . ." <Groucho> Good to see ya again and as always, a witticism here ‘n there interspersed with some fine "stuff" to enlighten, ed-u-mah-kate and enjoy!

Didn't know about Yogi's pop . . . books look mighty tempting, however, I'm sooooooo far behind in my reading that the more I take on, the behinder I get! <groan> <grin>

I'm not so sure the condition of those CN locos can all be attributed to the environment. Fergie has been keeping an eye out for these kinds of things from both sides of the harbor (harboUr) and has told me CN has cut back on "routine" maintenance over the years, so much so that paint jobs are now at the bottom of the list, if on it at all. <grim>

With two major rivers within a few miles of "anything" ‘round these parts, that river boat could have easily been transported from downtown by rail or on a flatbed truck . . . The question I have is how in the world did "they" land that DC47A where it is now?? <grin>

Thanx for the quarters, round ‘n conversation!

 

Pete at 6:06 PM Thursday - June 7th: As it turned out, YOURS was the FINAL Post for the day! Feast or Famine Bar ‘n Grill, eh Nevertheless, good to see ya and appreciate the time ‘n effort to keep up with the dialogue and so forth!

I wouldn't get TOO encouraged regarding the attendees at the 3^rd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in Chicago 2008 ‘til it gets down to "weeks" rather than months. Been there, done that before and all it gets is disappointment at this early stage. HOWEVER, it is good to see the INTEREST emerging for our get together . . .

If what West Coast S Dave provided some weeks back holds true, my guess is he's back Stateside by now and reacquainting himself with loved ones ‘n friends. May be awhile before he finds the time to twiddle away the hours in the Ether. I have hope that he'll return, when the timing is right!

Regarding those empty sidings in the CN yard in Halifax: I recall when there was nothing but freight cars on those tracks - so much that you couldn't see the scenery beyond them. As Fergie told us, there appears to be "something" going on with CN and a cut back on the numbers of freights being assembled in Halifax. Even those we know in Bedford have told us that the numbers of passing trains has great diminished which is a mixed blessing. For the area it's a loss of revenue, for the residents it's peace ‘n quiet without the rude awakening of the horns that blare in the night!

The port has lost shipping which in turn creates the situation faced by CN to cut back. The other side of that coin is the shipping industry has been complaining about how long it takes to get their containerized freight from the port to locations throughout North America by way of Halifax and CN. Watchcagonnado, eh

Now, now - let's not get too DOWN about a pay raise! After all, how long has it been since you became a "staff" member?? Hmmmmm - perhaps I'll let you have Rob's "scooper" for the upstairs tub. It IS a tad larger . . . <grin>

 

Fergie at 7:04 AM today - June 8th: Hey, Mate - what a treat! A message from far away at sea!! Good of you to swing by and appreciate your thinking of us . . . .

Gardens, model trains, riding real train, cold beer (sorry, Brits!), puppy dogs 'n pretty gals! That's what this life is all about, eh Nooooooooo, say some. <grin>

Yeah, I knew about the CN "stuff" from our conversation a few years back when you provided that great tour of the Terry Fox (Canadian Coast Guard vessel) . . . those locos are a blemish on the landscape, fer sure, fer sure!

Next time in, have "one" on me!

[coalminer3]

Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house, and $ for the jukebox.

Sox win!  Old Shill took a no hitter into the bottom of the 9^th b4 it got broken up on what was, at least, a clean base hit.  Ortiz's HR in the early innings held up.  I'm the kind of fan that likes low scoring games, but 1-0 is cutting it a bit too thin.  The Bostons go to Arizona this weekend for interleague activities against the Diamondbacks.  Real baseball - pitchers hit.

I watched the Cards and Reds on TV last night.  Also, I am sure they removed all sharp objects from the Dodgers clubhouse as well - what a meltdown that was (sorry Cap!)    

Fergie stopped by.  I had a similar question re those GP38s.  My first thought was that there had been a fire, but then seeing so many of them...deferred maintenance is the enemy. 

Pete - Many trains here used to switch cars in an out en route; especially sleepers.  Check out the end of this post for an example.

The NY setouts were, IIRC, the last ones operating here.  They were usually 10/6 cars. 

My favorite ATK runs before they changed everything around used to be 66 and 67 ("Night Owl,") and 48-448/449-49 ("Lake Shore") because of the work they did en route.  The last time I rode the "Lake Shore" was on a Chicago-Boston-Chicago turn.  Did Business Class between Boston and Albany and rode sleeper on the Chicago-Albany leg.  It worked out o.k., but it was not the same as a through sleeper.  At least they still had the diner, which is more than I can say for 50/51. 

OSP - I understand what you mean about decline in harbors.  Boston and New York are two more that come to mind, the latter especially.  I am sure Lars will back us up on our musings here.   

More pictures.  The StL IM&S brought to mind that the most recent Classic Trains had a fine piece on MP 4-6-0s, many of which had strange ancestries and histories.

So let's put some MP material up for your consideration.  This is from 1932. Yes, Boris, it was in the east wing and thank you for holding the lantern so I could find the folder.

ST. LOUIS TO SOUTHWEST

"SUNSHINE SPECIAL"

 

1	"Sunshine Special"	6:30 p.m. (St. Louis) (SU) 3:15 a.m. Little Rock (MO) 7:00 a.m. Texarkana 9:15 a.m. (Longview Jct.) 9:00 p.m. (Big Spring) 8:55 a.m. (El Paso) (TU)   9:25 a.m. (Longview Jct.) 12:01 p.m. (Palestine)       12:05 p.m. (Palestine)         10:00 p.m. (San Antonio)	1:15p.m. (Ft. Worth)     7:50 a.m. (Los Angeles) (WE) - via SP   11:45 a.m. (Palestine) 4:00 p.m. (Houston) 5:45 p.m. (Galveston) 4:20 a.m. (Corpus Christi) (TU) 7:55 a.m. (Brownsville) (TU) 7:50 p.m. (San Antonio) 2:00 a.m. (Laredo) (TU) 8:30 a.m. (Monterrey) (TU) - via NdeM 8:45 a.m. (Mexico City) (WE) - via NdeM 8:45 a.m. (Mission) (TU)
St. Louis - Los Angeles Sleeping Car: 10 sections/2 compartments/ drawing room to SP Train 1 @ El Paso St. Louis - El Paso Sleeping Car: 12 sections/ drawing room/ compartment St. Louis -San Antonio and Mission Sleeping Car: 12 sections/ drawing room/ compartment; SAU&G Train 215 San Antonio - Odem; then to GC&L Train 15-13 St. Louis - New Orleans Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room; from Little Rock in Train 101 St. Louis - Shreveport Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room via L&A from Hope St. Louis - Mexico City Sleeping Car: 10 sections/2 compartments/drawing room St. Louis - Houston and Galveston Sleeping Car: 10 sections/2 compartments/ drawing room Little Rock - Shreveport Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room/compartment via L&A from Hope San Antonio - Laredo Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room Houston - Corpus Christi Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room San Antonio - Corpus Christi Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room via SP, November - December; via MP, January - March San Antonio - Brownsville Sleeping Car: 12 sections/drawing room San Antonio - Mexico City Sleeping Car: 10 sections/observation Houston - Brownsville Sleeping Car: 10 sections/observation De Luxe Parlor Observation (Shower, valet, fountain, lounge, radio): Sr. Louis - El Paso - Los Angeles Café Lounge Observation: Longview Jct. - San Antonio Café Lounge Observation: Palestine - Houston Dining Car Dining Car: Hope - Shreveport Reclining Seat Chair Cars and coaches

I amy be running a bit late on Monday, ues and Friday of next week; but will do my best to make an appearance.

work safe

 

 

 

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

Continuing on with a bit of "normalcy" - here's another Nostalgia piece from awhile ago! 

 

PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #39

Initially Posted on Page 184 of the original Thread . . .

Here's something to enjoy regarding the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in a 1949 advertisement from my private collection:

The New BROADWAY LIMITED

NEW YORK - CHICAGO

Now in Service

THE NEWLY-EQUIPPED Broadway Limited presents completely new conception of travel . . . with new styling, appointments, riding ease and beauty . . . more comforts and conveniences than ever before, representing the finest that modern design and engineering can offer.

Beautiful new Lounge and Observation Cars . . . attractive new Dining Cars . . . distinctively new, all-room sleeping cars . . . plus the Broadway Limited's traditional hospitality - all for your personal travel pleasure! WE invite you to make a reservation for your next trip.

 

 

NEW MID-TRAIN LOUNGE AND OBSERVATION LOUNGE CAR - Richly appointed for leisure. Magazines, buffets.

 

NEW MASTER DINING CAR - Attractively furnished and decorated. Enjoy delicious food . . . meticulous service. Entire car reserved for dining.

 

ROOMETTES for one. Full-length bed, wardrobe, complete toilet facilities.

 

DUPLEX ROOMS for one person. Full length bed becomes comfortable divan during day. Toilet facilities.

 

COMPARTMENTS for two. Sofa-seat and lounge chair. Lower and upper beds. Wardrobe, enclosed toilet annex.

 

BEDROOMS - for one or two - in three new styles. Lower and upper beds, wardrobe, enclosed toilet annex.

 

DRAWING ROOMS for three. Sofa-seat and lounge chairs . . . three beds. Wardrobe, enclosed toilet annex.

PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD

Enjoy!

Tom

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

 

The final Pix from Day Two: Friday - May 25^th, 2007 - VIA Rail to Halifax, NS from Montreal, QC . . .

 

Arrival Halifax!

 

VIA Rail's Ocean w/Renaissance consist arrives Halifax

 

We made it!

 

 

Tom & "Our" Renaissance bedroom car

 

VIA Rail's F40PHs get an inspection at Halifax

 

Spiderman has a dirty face!

 

See ya tomorrow for the return trip!

 

Halifax station from trackside

 

Interior of Halifax VIA Rail station

 

Tribute to VIA Rail Remembrance Train of 2005 - "The Year of the Veteran"

 

To be continued . . .

 

Tom

[siberianmo]

G'day Gents!

 

Continuing with MORE Pix from the 2^nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis:

Saturday - May 19, 2007  

 

The St. Louis Museum of Transportation (Kirkwood, MO)

(more detailed descriptions <for many> previously provided by Eric ‘n Doug)

 

Wabash S Mogul 2-6-0 #573. Built in Rhode Island (1889).

 

Eric checking out #573

 

Hey Pete! This is where they keep the cold beer! <grin>

 

What's a railway museum without at least ONE RDC, eh

Massachusetts Bay Area Transportation Authority #54 - RDC1; originally built for Canadian Pacific Railway by the Budd Company.

 

MoPac Caboose #13889. Built by MoPac (1980).

 

More later . . .

Tom

[pwolfe]

Hi Tom and all.

A pint of Batham's please RUTH.

FERGIE Good to hear from you aboard ship. Have a safe voyage and look forward to hearing from you again soon.

CM3 Many thanks for the info on switching out and that wonderful MP Sunshine Special schedule from 1932 So many destinations from St Louis on the one train. I guess in 1932 it would be all steam hauled with steam doing the switching moves as well. It would be interesting to see what different types of locos were involved hauling, say the St Louis to Mexico City car. To have traveled in the De-Luxe Parlor Observation car must have been quite an experience.

Talking of train splitting reminded of, before the Carstairs to Edinburgh line was electrified there were trains that were diesel hauled from Liverpool and Manchester which were joined at Preston to be electric hauled through Carlisle to Carstairs where the train was split again. The portion from Manchester, that contained the refreshment car, carried on behind the electric loco to Glasgow while a diesel backed on for the Edinburgh portion. In the opposite direction the Edinburgh portion ran through Carstairs station to wait for the Glasgow part to run in, the diesel then reversed the Edinburgh cars onto the rest of the train. It was a pleasure to watch this operation as the shunters who connected the train were very good at the lob and the train was on its way very quickly. Unfortunately not like some specials I have been on where a loco change as taken ages.

TOM Yes the storms did not reach here ether and quite a cool down today as well.

Glad you have heard from ROB and he is doing well although very busy .It will be great if Rob can call in the bar as he is very much missed.

It does seem sad about the freight in Halifax, I guess from what you say, the less there is the more they have to charge on the ones that still run to pay for the track etc. Another thing I suppose is a lot more cargo comes from Asia today and they use the west coast ports. Unfortunately in Britain there would be houses or other buildings on the disused sidings very quickly.

Thanks for the PRR Broadway Limited Nostalgia from 1949 indeed a golden age for American rail travel.

Enjoyed the photos of our arrival in Halifax, sorry about my arm in the last photo.

Great photos at St Louis MOT poor old Wabash #573 lets hope that the 112 year old loco can be restored to her former glory one day, at least she is still in existence.

Great spotting the RDC in the undergrowth, an ex CP one at that.

Cold beer on the Aerotrain I wonder if the high noise levels, as said in the sign, were the cans rolling about.

They have done a great job on that MO-PAC caboose, it looks better than brand new.

We shall be out most of the day tomorrow and I am not sure what time I shall be back so I will post some pics.

Another Round please RUTH and the Steak later so I have enough energy to stock the bar, (and to lift the bigger dipper)

Pete.

[marthastrainyard]

Good Evening everybody present!

Leon, Ill have a pint of Holden's, and a round for everybody present. And since I am here in time for pizza, let's have a Hawaiian pizza, please!

How ‘bout them dar DUCKS!

 

Tom, you had mentioned renaming the arena to the Aflack Pond. Anything "Pond" would be great right now. Honda took it over and it is the "Honda Arena"; no more "Pond" in there and no more "Mighty" in the team name since Disney sold it all off.

Thank you for all the recognition of Svenska Flaggans Dag!

I liked your pictures from the St. Louis Museum of Transport. It seems to be a real Transport museum, boats, planes and trains. A couple of them stand out in my mind: The Laclede Christy is such a neat little machine. Almost wish I could have one in my back yard. The Chicago & Illinois Midland #551 is another engine that just shows power and grace in my mind. I have always liked the 2-8-4 (and the 4-8-4) because of that.

That rusty ol' Wabash Mogul #573 in the background looks interesting. There seems to be a number of old, rusty engines on that track. Are they waiting for restoration, or are they spare parts?

Maybe the C-47 was dropped by parachute? You know, Dumbo drop.

The link to the railroad history of the U.S. is really great! Thank you for that little gem! It did mention Ellicott and I thought I had seen and read about it when I visited the B&O museum in Baltimore many years ago. Can you imagine losing $20,000 200 years ago? That Mr. Stevens must have been a man on means b eing able to come back after that.

You say a bunk is a bunk, but what I was wondering is if there is a noticeable difference in the size of the beds in the Budd cars and in the Ren cars. It may not be as big of a difference as I read in that other article about the canal boats on rail. A bookcase as a bed, huh? The overhead storage is the same problem Amtrak has. But there it is the Superliner that has the smaller and the Viewliner that has the bigger storage.

I tried to learn Morse code once, but I didn't spend enough time with it, so I never got anywhere. I still remember letter "e" though

Looking at that picture of the harbor at Halifax and all the merchant ships getting ready for a convoy across the Atlantic, I wonder how nervous many of the sailors were. The German Wolf Packs were waiting for them and I guess the loss rate was pretty high at times. Those sailors were true heroes in my mind!

I saw earlier that you had a Southern Horoscope! So I'm a bunch of Grits, huh? I guess I will have to get enough courage to try a serving one of these days. My Father-In-Law grew up on that thing in Florida and he hates it; that's all I have heard about it.

You posted ads for both 20^th Century Limited and Broadway Limited. What train used the tracks that Amtrak's Lakeshore Limited uses today? The Broadway Limited advertises that the entire diner is reserved for dining, what did it used to be? Do they mean that half of the car was a kitchen and that this train has a separate kitchen car?

I like the pictures from your trip. The landscape up there remind me a lot of south-central Sweden in many ways. But I bet it gets colder in Canada than it does in Sweden in the winter. You said the Canadian shippers had complained about the slow freight movement on rail. I think I remember reading in the Trains magazine in the early 80's that a normal transcontinental box car traveled with an average speed of 7 mph. If I remember right, no wonder shippers complain!

 

Doug, I will try to stick around for a while. I think you have made me go to Barnes & Noble again! I think I need to pick up that Horseshoe Curve book; it just sound too interesting to pass up!

 

Eric, I'm glad you got your citizenship 10 years ago. Congratulations! I am still waiting for mine. The process that should have taken 18 months has now taken over 3 years, and there is still no sign of any progress! I guess that birthday of mine 6 years ago "changed everything" or so they want to make us believe.

Yes, 1967, that's it. I think September 3^rd, or 4^th was the big Sunday. I drove the 360 miles up to Stockholm that day and it was an experience!

I haven't been on a sleeper train in Sweden for years, so I don't know if there are any direct cars anymore. There used to be a "blue car" the CIWL sleeper from Stockholm to the continent and I was lucky when I could get a bed in that car. I found those beds much more comfortable that the regular beds.

Technically I am not retiring, just "pretiring" on 12/31/2007. I get a severance package if I leave, so I will try to live off of that money until it is time to retire. We'll see how it works. But we stop working on the same day, what a coincidence!

I didn't realize that all cars had to have magnetic brakes if they go over 160 kmh (100 mph). No wonder it gets expensive and that there aren't any trains going faster than that. I wondered where that speed limit that is painted on the cars came from, now I know. Thank you.

 

Thank you for the Stockholm picture, Mike. That's from the Baltic Exhibition way back when but some of the buildings are still standing to this day. I recognized one little brick building in the far left background. It was built be the Skåne brick industry and it is still there today. All of these buildings were/are on the island of Djurgåden ("Animal Farm") in Stockholm.

That Marlyn Rich must have been a gutsy gal. Imagine hanging from a helicopter like that and take a ride! No thanks, not for me!

 

Pete, as I mentioned, it wasn't until last year the June 6 became a holiday. They had to trade another holiday for it, and I heard rumors that "they" regret the trade. The traded a holiday always on a Monday for June 6 which will fall on Saturdays and Sundays, so over a few years they have lost a day off.

[EricX2000]

Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!

Leon, Saturday morning, how about a juicy Filet Mignon with lots of mushroom! 

Missed last night, so it took some time tonight to catch up. Time well spent, though!

Tom –  What a dream, dreaming you are awake all night! Sleeping, but still awake! I guess I am lucky, it takes less than one minute for me to fall asleep after I turn off the light.

July 4th was a perfect day for my ceremony to become a citizen!! They showed me on the news that evening on our local CBS station! What surprises me is that so many have dual citizenships. That is not right from my point of view.

Thanks for the picture of Bedford Basin! I have seen it before but it is always interesting to see all those ships getting ready to sail for a dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

I saw I missed Dave’s birthday May 27. I hope he is okay and back home by now. Do you know?

NYC’s King-Size Diner, with a separate kitchen car,would have been nice to try! PRR had a master Dioning Car, but not with a separate kitchen car.

More intersting pictures from Halifax! Those locos, 4720, 4721, 4730, and 4774 certainly need a new paint job! They look terrible. Nice to see your pictures from the Rendezvous!!  I missed to get a good picture of that streetcar, #10.

I also missed those old locomotives behind the Aerotrain! I never saw there was several of them.

The Spider Man locomotive obviously took you all the way from Montreal to Halifax!? How far is it?

Good to hear that Rob is okay!

How did they land that DC47 where it is now? With a high grade of precision!

About the 3rd Rendezvous, I’ll be there!

Mike –  Thanks for the links!! When I saw the picture from Stockholm (The Art and Industrial Fair of 1897) I did not believe it was from Stockholm. But it is. The tall building in the center of the picture was a temporary, wooden structure, was almost 300 feet high.

A picture of king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden! He was killed in a battle in Germany November 6, 1632. Sweden was then involved in the 30 year War in Europe.

I like those pictures of the Hell Gate Bridge!

CM3 –  I found some info about ALCO’s Hi-Ad trucks, see link.

http://www.greenbayroute.com/hiad.htm

Interesting design to eliminate the weight transfer. Thanks for the info!

I found this picture I took last December. I think this is a similar design, a FB 3 truck.

“Combat Loaded” sounds like an interesting book! I’ll check this weekend if the book store has it so I can have a closer look at it.

My brain is obviously dead. First I couldn’t read the Sunshine Special timetable at all, but finally things are getting in place. It took from Sunday evening til Wednesday morning to travel by train from St. Louis to Mexico City.

Pete –  Thanks for the congratulations!

It was kind of strange to switch to right-hand traffic but I got used to it in a very short period of time. I don’t think UK will ever change. Double track rail lines in Sweden are built to handle left-hand and/or right-hand traffic. It doesn’t matter. Usually it is left-hand traffic, but quite often you have two trains running side by side in the same direction or you have trains running right-hand traffic. It is very flexible.

I don’t think the US railroads painted the coupling roads silver. As far as I know that paint is just a protection against rust on locomotives on static display.

Fergie –  Hope to hear from you again soon! Maybe we will be lucky to see some pictures of those models when you get back?!

Per –  It took me about eleven months from when I applied until I became a citizen. Not too bad. I hope you will have your citizenship soon! Three years is a loooong time!

I don’t know if I mentioned that my employer wants me to work part time for another year after my retirement and if we can agree I will work 50 % until the end of 2008. That is when my wife retires. Working 50% will give me much more time than today to do things I really want to do, like chasing gir... hmm, trains.

I think there are very few direct cars (if any) to the rest of Europe from Stockholm today. Except for trains to Copenhagen and Oslo.

 

Eric
 

[siberianmo]

ENCORE! Saturday ‘n Photo Posting Day!

at "Our" Place!

We are CLOSED on SUNDAYs!


Starting Sunday at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!

. . . June 10^th thru 16^th: Beyond The Fringe (1963) Starring: Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller &  Peter Cook - and - Windtalkers (2002) Starring: Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich & Mark Ruffalo. SHORT: The Three Stooges - All The World's A Stooge (1941).

 

Beyond The Fringe (1963)

PLOT SUMMARY:

Before The Daily Show, before Saturday Night Live, even before Monty Python, there was Beyond the Fringe-the 1960s West End and Broadway hit revue that reinvented comedy. While another Fab Four was revolutionizing music, Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Jonathan Miller were giving birth to the British satire boom. With nothing but their brilliant writing and inspired performances, they created side-splitting comedy that held nothing and no one sacred. In the process, the four performers became international stars. It was long thought that no filmed record of the original cast existed, until this gem was discovered in a producer's vault. A 1964 gala farewell performance in London, it features the troupe's classic sketches, including "Man Bites God," "Aftermyth of War," and "One Leg Too Few."  

from: amazon.com

 

 

Windtalkers (2002)

Having earned Hollywood's respect with blockbusters like Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2, Hong Kong action master John Woo lends his signature style to serious World War II action in Windtalkers. Recognizing the long-forgotten contribution of Navajo "code talkers," whose use of an unbreakable Navajo-language radio code was instrumental in defeating the Japanese, the film serves as an admirable tribute to those Native American heroes. Unfortunately, it falls short of importance with its standard-issue story about a battle-scarred sergeant (Nicolas Cage) assigned to protect a code-talker (Adam Beach, from Smoke Signals), with unspoken orders to kill him if Japanese capture is imminent. This allows for an involving drama of hard-won friendship, but cardboard supporting characters suffer in the shadow of nonstop action that's as repetitious as it is technically impressive. Windtalkers is best appreciated as a more substantial vehicle for Woo's trademark ballet of bullets. --Jeff Shannon

From: amazon.com

 

 

SHORT: All The World's A Stooge (1941)


PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly

Lotta Bullion distresses her husband Ajax with her new plan to take in war refugees. Ajax, already suffering from a toothache, goes to the dentist and mistakes three brainless janitors as dentists. After a successful (if unusual) tooth-pulling, the Stooges escape and take refuge in Ajax's car, where he immediately disguises them as children and introduces them to his wife as the new refugees. In the end, however, it is Ajax chasing them out again... with a large ax.

from: threestooges.net

 

Enjoy!

Tom

[siberianmo]

This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!

Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays.

 

G'day Gents!

Another Saturday and I have a feeling things are going to be rather QUIET

'round the premises today . . . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS will be provided on Monday as has been the practice - UNLESS things pick up considerably of course! Appreciate the visits by CM3 Shane, Pete, Per 'n Eric - especially the "heads up" on planned absences or late arrivals. That ALWAYS helps in keeping the "flow" somewhat orchestrated . . Shane 'n Wolfman!!

We've been providing MANY, MANY Pix lately at the bar on days OTHER THAN Saturdays - and that practice is going to CHANGE once all of the Rendezvous 'n Canada Rail trip fotos get Posted. The idea is to encourage DIALOGUE AT THE BAR with Pix as SUPPLEMENTAL to the chat. So, let's keep that in mind as we plod along . . . Not to worry though, there are zillions of Rendezvous 'n Canada trip fotos left! <grin>

Going back a bit in time, here's a Post from May 18th, 2005 (my B'day!) on Page 13 of the original Thread . . . Most appropriate for ENCORE! Saturday . . .

Canadian Rail Journey, Part II

On Sunday, May 8th, 2005 (Mother's Day and VE Day) I set out on my solo round trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Ottawa, Ontario via Montreal, Quebec. Arriving at VIA Rail's Halifax Station in a torrential downpour, the line up for Easterly Class sleepers had just begun.

I noticed a rather large group of people all wearing name tags and my first thought was, "Oh no, a tourist group!" Experiences from past journeys have not all been that pleasant when encountering some of these organized rail trips and I hope this would be different. It was.

It didn't take long for me to discern the pronunciation of certain words that only people who reside in the St. Louis, MO, USA area can appreciate. The group turned out to be comprised of people from my community and those adjacent to it. The tour director had been my three children's math teacher in high school and before I realized it, it was "old home week" at the Halifax Station. This particular fellow and I have traveled aboard the same trains, but never as part of his group. He does a good job at ensuring that all goes well, without the intrusiveness experienced with other groups.

On this day, Train #15, the all BUDD consist of 11 cars (1 baggage car, 2 coaches, one Skyline dome car, one dining car, 5 Chateau series sleepers and the Evangeline Park Car (observation dome with 2 lounges and 4 bedrooms) awaited us. Heading up the train were two F40PH's, numbered 6441 and 6405 respectively. The train was booked full, including the coaches. There was talk of adding another coach at Moncton, NB, however, that didn't occur as one wasn't available.

The rain had been falling since Saturday morning and this was monsoon-like. Heading northward towards Truro, the water on either side of the right-of-way was running fast and at times appeared to be very, very close to the roadbed. Sitting in the Park Car dome, the vantage point was sufficient enough to determine the impact of the storm on the country side. Several crossings had police cars blocking them, lights flashing, probably because of roadways under water.

By the time the train wound its way through the great scenery between Truro and Amherst (last stop in Nova Scotia) the rain began to let up. Our arrival in Moncton was only long enough for me to dash out into the rain, take some photo's and get back aboard for the continuation of the journey. One of my new-found friends from a community not far from where I live, accompanied me and we got more than a few chuckles from the employees all huddled beneath this or that wondering who these "Yay hoos" were with their cameras! Been there, done that before and will undoubtedly do it again! With a refueled train at the ready, the remainder of the trip was enjoyable - as always.

The dining car was jammed for the evening meal - at least a 15 minute wait for a table. Good to see, in that many of my previous trips witnessed near empty situations, even though the trains were rather full. Somehow this all didn't equate - fewer menu selections, higher prices equals greater demand? Huh? Another delightful meal, some great dinner table chit chat over a couple of Keith's Pale Ale, then back to the dome. Ahhhhhhh.

Couldn't handle much more beyond Campbellton, so it was time to hit the sack. I had a single (Roomette) on this journey in the Chateau Brule bedroom car adjacent to the Evangeline Park observation dome car. This single was an "upper," in that the step down could be a ‘killer' if one forgot it was there! Happens .... Amazing how every bit of space is wisely planned for ......... a good night's sleep interrupted only by my curiousness to take a look through the wide window now and then. Some snow on the ground between western New Brunswick and eastern Quebec.

Morning on the "Ocean" began very early for me. I arose at 4 AM - and decided to sit in the Evangeline Park's dome until our stop at Charny station. While this stop has existed for decades, the feature stop for the "Ocean" was at a place on the south bank of the St. Lawrence Seaway, directly across from Quebec City called Levis. When on the eastbound, the train sat for about 20 minutes, which gave the passengers an incredible view of the ramparts and lights of Quebec City - just wonderful. The westbound got in a bit early (as with Charny), so most times I slept through that ..... About five years ago, the tracks were sold and removed for Condominiums (or so the story goes) and the Levis station faded into history. The ferry connection between Levis and Quebec City lost much of its charm insofar as passenger train travelers were concerned.

At Charny on the westbound, the train backs in, whereas it is the opposite heading east. Took a few minutes to breath in the chilly morning air - chat a bit with crew and just enjoy the beginning of yet another great morning with VIA Rail.

I must say that those continental breakfasts in the Bullet Lounge of the Park Car was sorely missed on this day. I'm a "pill taker" in my advancing age and without something of substance to go with them, the experience can be rather unpleasant. Fortunately, "Joanne," our attendant, noticed my discomfort and immediately provided me with a few packages of cookies to go with the complimentary juices, coffee, tea and hot chocolate in the Park Car. She's a "sweetheart" for sure - an "old timer" from our traveling days aboard the "Atlantic," which used to run between Montreal and Halifax, but took a more southerly route through Maine. A story for another day .......

Happy Railroading! Siberianmo