This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!
Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays.
G'day Gents!
A few visitors this holiday weekend as we've had a "dump" of URLs from Mike (wanswheel) along with some C&W narrative 'n the return of Jan (JanOlov) from Sweden . . .
Time again for another installment of my Alaskan Rail Adventure 2006!
<Initially Posted on Page 369 of the Original Thread on 02 Jul 2006>
Continuing on for the past three Sundays with two more sets of Pix from our recently concluded Alaska Rail Adventure! See Page 351-352, 357 and 363 for others. Click to enlarge (1) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (2) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (3) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (4) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (5) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (6) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (7) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (8) AAR Denali Star - southbound track scenes (9) AAR Denali Star - southbound crossing the Tanana River on the Mears Memorial Bridge (10) AAR Denali Star - southbound across the Mears Memorial Bridge and Tanana River (11) AAR Denali Star - southbound approaching the Alaska Range (12) AAR Denali Star - southbound approaching the Alaska Range
NOTICE! NOTICE! NOTICE!
The RR BOOK RELAY 2007! has begun . . .
Pete (pwolfe) has a book that he'd like to share with the boyz - it's called Red for Danger. First mailing has been to Lars (LoveDomes).
So what's a RR BOOK RELAY
For the guyz interested in reading this book, here's how it works:
(1) Send me an Email with your full postal mailing address.
(2) Upon receipt of the book, send an Email stating that you received it.
(3) Before mailing it to the next person on the list, make your written comments on the blank page(s) provided.
(4) Send me an Email stating that the book has been mailed to . . .
(5) Last person on the list - which will be me - mails it back to Pete.
(6) I will ensure that all participants get an Email compilation of the comments made . . .
Simple enough
Signed up are:
Lars (LoveDomes) - CM3 Shane (coalminer3) -
Eric (EricX2000) - Allan (Gunneral) ‘n Tom (siberianmo)
Now WHO ELSE wants "in"
Let me know by EMAIL because sometimes things Posted at the bar have a way of getting misplaced (ie: not read)!!
Let's have some fun with this!
Tom
2007 BIRTHDAY WATCH LIST
(rev. Sep 1st)
Regular Customers at "Our" Place!
January 14th (Eric - 64)
OKRA (Dec 22 - Jan 20) Are tough on the outside but tender on the inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. You can do something good each day if you try. You go well with most anyone.
March 31st (Lars - 67)
MOON PIE (March 21 - April 20) You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. A cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. A Chitlin would be a good mate but it's not going to be easy. You always have a big smile and are happy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Maybe not.
May 18th (Tom - 69)
POSSUM (April 21 - May 21) When confronted with life's difficulties, possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a don't-bother-me-about- it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy but seems to work for you. You are a rare breed. Most folks love to watch you work and play. You are a night person and mind your own business. You should definitely marry an Armadillo.
August 11th (Pete - 56)
August 14th (Allan - 72)
CATFISH (July 24 - Aug 23) Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, although one's whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You Catfish are never easy people to understand. You run fast. You work and play hard. Even though you prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life, you are liked by most. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies.
October 9th (Ron - 73)
BOILED PEANUTS (Sept 24 - Oct 23) You have a passionate desire to help your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best, your friends and loved ones, may find that your personality is much too salty, and their criticism will affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure that people will always pull over and stop for you.
December 29th (CM3 - 61)
The age reflected is what you will be on your 2007 B'day!
Not on the list Send me an Email with your birth date (month-day-year) Corrections too!
Tom (Siberianmo)
Proprietor of "Our" Place, an adult eating & drinking establishment!
G'day Tom and gentlemen,
May I have the usual extra cold Guinness and rounds for the boys please? I may to get another couple of pints after all my hard work that Tom has signed me up for as a "volonteer"....
Sixteen, Montana
Remaining buildings at the ghost town of Sixteen, Montana, August 2007. View to south.
Sixteen is a former unincorporated village in southwestern Meagher County, Montana. The town was a station stop on the transcontinental main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road"), and was a community center for a small number of area ranchers and homesteaders. The rail line through Sixteen was originally constructed in 1895 by the Montana Railroad, and the town served as a base camp for railway construction crews.
The town took its name from Sixteen Mile Creek, which runs through the narrow valley containing the village. Sixteen Mile Canyon, immediately west of the town, was considered a scenic highlight of the Milwaukee Road line. Eagle Nest Tunnel, one of the railroad's better-known engineering features, was located about four miles west of Sixteen.
The Sixteen post office was first opened in 1890, and closed in 1944.
The population of Sixteen was never large, and by the late 20th century the town was nearly deserted. The railroad through the area was abandoned in 1980, and Sixteen is now a ghost town.
Kitchen is full of activity for todays meals...... So, grab a chair and we'll bring your stuff out as fast as possible....
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house
Singing Brakeman Time Magazine Aug. 6, 1934
Jimmie Rodgers, brakeman on the Southern Railway at Meridian, Miss., his birthplace, sang in a nasal, caressing voice each morning as he strolled to work.
I woke up this morning, the blues all 'round my bed
I didn't have nobody to hold my aching head. . . .
Negro laborers taught him to play the guitar badly. But nobody taught him his clear full-throated yodel that almost never broke into falsetto. When he was little more than 20 he married.
Something about you, mama
That sure gives me the blues.
It ain't your drop-stitch stockings
It ain't your buckled shoes. . . .
Somebody told him he ought to stop spitting, that his lungs were bad. So he went to Nashville, N. C.
I had to quit railroadin'
We didn't agree at all. . . .
Jobless, penniless, Jimmie Rodgers yodeled his way around the North Carolina countryside, drank all the corn whiskey he could get, organized a little band of hillbillies to sing for food and drink in tumbledown Southern hotels. In 1927 he read that Victor Co. was operating a recording station in Bristol, Va. He bummed his way to Bristol, wandered into the Victor building.
Hillbilly songs were already nationally popular and that day Jimmie Rodgers became the greatest hillbilly of all. Tired, unshaven, racked with tuberculosis, he twanged his guitar, sang and yodeled ''Sleep, Baby, Sleep." Victor made a record of it. Within a year it sold more than 1,000,000 copies, topping Caruso's sales for any single year of his career. Jimmie Rodgers' second recording was called "Blue Yodel." So popular did it prove that he followed it with a "Blue Yodel No. 2," then a "No. 3" until he sang 25 of them, sold 6,000,000. In all, he made 60 records, sold 20,000,000.
Jimmie Rodgers now had money. His records were played throughout the South, in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, India. He could buy all the whiskey he wanted to forget his pain. He also bought a Buick, a Packard, a Cadillac, kept a chauffeur. He bought his father a home in Meridian, built himself a $50,000 house in Kerrville, Tex., where his wife and 13-year-old daughter now live. He wore loud neckties, occasionally a ten-gallon hat, tight-waisted coats. He did vaudeville turns throughout the land, met Will Rogers at a San Antonio unemployment benefit, stole the show.
One of Jimmie Rodgers' songs was called "Whippin' That Old T. B." A doctor told him he could never whip it if he kept on drinking, prescribed a codeine formula to allay his pain. But it was too late then. Last year in Manhattan tuberculosis whipped Jimmie Rodgers into his grave.
Jimmie Rodgers' death, however, did not put an end to the sale of his records. His widow still gets about $200 per month in royalties. His plaintive voice still yodeled last week from honkytonks in Port-au-Prince, cantinas in Colon, dives in Sidney. Lately Jimmie Rodgers' name was given additional immortality. Compañia Vinícola Hispano Americano of Panama City put a Jimmie Rodgers rum on the market.
Sleep Baby Sleep http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ram/BLU39768.ram
Brakeman's Blues Blue Yodel #2 http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ram/VIC41738-2.ram
Ben Dewberry's Final Run http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ram/BLU40751.ram
Waiting For A Train http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ram/BLU47223-4.ram
Mike
<personal foto>
A new month begins with some old habits hard to break. What, you say ??? BREAKFAST at the Saloon by the Siding! So let's get a move on - order a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board - draw a mugga freshly ground ‘n brewed Colombian coffee <unleaded> or <regular> ‘n of course a few pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery case!
Comments from the Proprietor:
Wishing all of you a most relaxing ‘n enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. Keep safe while you're at it!
Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative)
CM3 Shane (coalminer3) at 9:41 AM Friday - Aug 31st: Thanx for confirming that I found the correct author! Book is on order . . .
Should be a fine weekend ‘round these parts too as the oppressive heat is gone albeit if only for a few days. <phew>
Amazing coincidence that you have "that" Pennsy AeroTrain foto in your office. It's surely a "keeper" ‘n one I'd not seen. I'm setting aside a swarth of time for "that" URL you provided - looking forward to the good stuff from my favorite of favorites!
Many thanx for the continuing support, round ‘n quarters!
Lars (LoveDomes) at 12:12 PM Friday - Aug 31st: Looks like you may have found a kindred soul in Ron down in Mississippi - another machinist! Anyway, great to see ya ‘n enjoyed your ramblings - as always.
Fine spate of covers, even if it had to be the Milwaukee Road <again> <Good Gawd Gertie, will it ever end?!?!>
Appreciate the time you give to this joint, the round ‘n discussions!
Dan (DL-UK) at 12:32 PM Friday - Aug 31st: Awwwwwwwwright, our Resident Brit Connection has returned to the bar!
As you've surmised, there's a bunch of "stuff" amassed on these Pages since you were last "in" for a session. So, take your time, draw a tankard or three of your favorite beverage, ‘n set about playing the game of catch up!
Appears that you had a full slate of activity in Canada ‘n we look forward to your accounting of the rail trips you experienced. I'm especially interested in anything related to the ONR - have researched it so many times I feel as if we've made the trip.
A shame you couldn't hook up with Rob, however, as you'll soon discover, he's been somewhat the non-entity ‘round here for months. Perhaps should a next time be on the agenda, you'll get to see that fine Radial Museum he ‘n his bride volunteer at.
Here's a URL for a Page on the Original Thread with THREE sets of fotos from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum taken in May 2006 at the 1st Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in Toronto. Enjoy!
http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/344/991587/ShowPost.aspx#991587
Reading further down Page 344 of the Original Thread, you'll find TWO sets of foto descriptions from trolleyboy Rob (former regular at "Our" Place ‘n now a UTB member of the Legion fo the Lost!)
The list of regulars at the bar goes like this: Lars (LoveDomes) in Staten Island, NY - Eric (EricX2000) in Phoenix, AZ - Pete (pwolfe) in Jefferson City, MO <just departed for a 2 week vacation in California> - CM3 Shane (coalminer3) in West Virginia - Jan (JanOlov) in Scotland - Ron (DD1) in Mississippi ‘n Allan (Gunneral) in New Zealand. Those are pretty much the "steadies" at the bar - there are a few others who trickle in now ‘n then, ‘n you'll recognize them from days gone by.
Hoping you'll pick up on our RR
Good morning Captain Tom and all present!!
Leon, it is time for a chicken tenderloin sandwich! Tui will be fine, please!
This Friday just took off like crazy. Now it is gone!
Fergie – Expanding the MESS empire? That sounds interesting! Looking forward to future posts with the latest!Tom – No, no, it is not over a year since your Stockholm Central Station post. I believe that was in November/December sometime or later. The visit at St. Louis Museum of Transportation was very, very interesting. I’ll be back one day to see more and get more pictures. Some of the locomotives were hard to get any pictures of. B&O, a Classic railroad indeed! I like that National Limited drumhead! Another Classic is Mona looking for Pete!! Is she goig to the West coast too? Are you sure? CM3 – Please let’s forget about Kim. He was kind of interesting to see the first 3-4 times he pitched. That was it.Lars – Now it is official, this is the hottest summer on record in Phoenix, June/July/August had an average temperature of 95.0°. No snow. And today was the 31st day at 110° or higher. It was actually 111°. I could make that list of wintry things much longer, but that just makes me feel bad. Nice books and interesting DVD! Feel sorry for you, coming back and then have to take care of the admin work right away! I hope you get good help!!!DL – Welcome back to the Bar!! We are looking forward to your reports! Pete – 90 of the Class E locomotives were rebuilt to Class E-2. They changed the wheel arrangement from 0-8-0 to 2-8-0. Among other things that made it possible to run those locomotives slightly faster. A picture I took almost a year ago in the old country shows a Class E.
More nice pictures from Alan and Ireland! Those narrow gauge diesels are really narrow! I like that old fashioned bus! Have a safe and nice trip to the West coast!! I heard Mona is going as well! Allan – Thanks for the round! If you want to double that round, that’s okay! JanOlov – The Erie-builts look very nice, easy to recognize. Thanks for the Little Joe info! Those electrics are fascinating! James – It certainly would be nice to see a Bi-Polar in working condition! I am afraid the chance is pretty slim though. Too bad the Olympian Hiawatha didn’t last longer, 1947-1961. Thanks for the second portion of the Olympian Hiawatha info!
Eric
G-day Tom and all present!!
leon- Well it's good to see you. Things are going well here. So I think I will get a coffee and the special of the night, steak and fries. Thanks.
Tom- I have a question for you. Since I have been gone, and yes there is a lot of catching up to do, how would you recommend going through it I realize what you are saying, but as I have mentioned before I am unlike any person. Once I begin, I don't stop until it does. Even if I am gone for a couple months out of the year that doesn't mean I forget about it. So I would like some recommendations on what to do. BTW: The singing brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers, was a good article. I have heard of him before even though it's long before my time. My dad is music buff.. mostly oldies. And he has mentioned him a few times and I think we even have a record of his music somewhere. I do remember the song, waiting for a train. Neat stuff. Also good little piece on the B&O. Some good stuff there also. Thanks for sharing.
Jan- I am very surprised in your posts. They are quite good. When I first saw Hank Williams, I thought instantly of Hank snow.... No, neither of them are brothers and neither have any resemblance but, the name reminded me of him. I have never heard of Hank Williams. I can't believe he died so young. To bad he killed himself like that. Some neat songs though.
That picture with the Westinghouse Quill caught my attention. I have only seen two or so pics with one of those units on it. They are such an odd loco. All I know about it was, the quills on the locomotives, when first built, had a tendency to be so powerful that they would actually brake the frame of the locomotive. Plus you explained more about it in your post on the boxcabs. Well done there. I also know that the Quill units where sent into passenger service. Thanks for the neat pics.
Ah, but the Bipolar's I am very familiar with. Only five built and all were built for passenger service.... Why am I explaining it, you got it perfect. Neat stuff. Thanks for sharing. Also good article on the Boxcabs and Westinghouse units. All were very interesting electrics. Very well done. Thanks. Also the Little Joe, being the pride of the freight locomotives, was probably the neatest locomotive the Milwaukee Road had to offer. The little Joe, putting out an impressive 5500 HP and over a 100,000 pounds of tractive effort, made the "Joes" the most admired. They were certainly work horses. To bad only two exist today. Thanks for sharing.
Pete- Ya, it feels good to be back on the forums. Glad you liked the Milwaukee Road Depot. There is always some good stuff to look at. I will certainly be adding more to it as time keeps clackin' along. I here you are leaving us for awhile. I have missed it somewhere, so may I ask where you are going? Well, have a good trip to where ever you go. Oh and thanks for all of those great pics that Alan took on his trip. That little 0-4-2t is the coolest little steamer. I can't imagine that thing pulling a lot but a passenger car or two. Nice pics.
Allan- Nice website on the Bluebell railway. I do recall it popping up on here a couple times in the past and I found it fascinating. They do a really good job preserving that railroad. There equipment is quite nice. Thanks for showing and thanks for welcoming me back.
Eric- Glad you liked the Olympian "Hi" article. I have another portion that may also interest you. Some good stuff to read. BTW: nice pic of that Bipolar. It's good to see one still around after all of these years of not being used. Maybe someday someone will have the money and the time to restore it to working condition. Wouldn't that be neat??!!
Lars- Good to see you posting those book and movie covers. I have always enjoyed looking at all of those covers. Some of the covers I know and others are sometimes a bit surprising. The one book I am familiar with is the Milwaukee Road electrics. Noal did a good job explaining how the electrics were built and when. His explanations are well done. If you are a Milwaukee Road fan, I do recommend this book to those people. It's great to see them. Thanks for sharing.
Now for another portion of the Olympian.
On June 29, 1947 the Milwaukee Road inaugurated it's postwar streamlined flagship, the Olympian Hiawatha on a 43 hour, 30 minute schedule. The Milwaukee advertised the new faster train as a "speedliner".
To meet new streamlined competition from the Northern Pacific and Great Northern, the train was initially launched with both streamlined and heavyweight equipment in its consist. The Milwaukee's insistence on it own radical designs also contributed to delays in delivery. The initial streamlined coaches, touralux open berth sleepers, dining and lounge cars were home-built by the Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley shops. By 1949 the remaining cars were delivered by Pullman-Standard. The former Olympian heavyweight consists for a time continued to run on the older Olympian schedule as a secondary train, once again named the Columbian.
Designed by industrial designer Brooks Stevens, the Olympian Hiawatha included the Milwaukee Road's signature "Skytop" solarium observation car. Similar the those designed and built for the Twin Cities Hiawatha's, the Olympian Hiawatha's Skytops had more glass area from the rear forward and sleeping compartments in the forward two-thirds of the car. The Milwaukee Road billed the Skytops as "the perfect ending for a perfect train."
As industrial design, the Skytop observation cars have often been described as the most distinctive railway cars ever bu
Greetings Tom and da boys,
May I have a round for the boys and an extra cold Guinness for me please?
EricX2000, They really are someting those Erie builts, aren't they?
Tom, I'm ready when you are for my, well, community service.... I'll take my punishment as a man.... (waiting for laughs and boo's).
coalminer3, my dad had some old records with Hank Williams and a few others, so I kinda grow to like that sort of music, not as much as rockabilly, but still.
Da Larsman, not to worry young man, I don't feel picked on or singled out the slightest. I went slightly off the track with that post, everything tip top. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime, eh? Nice pics on the book covers on Milwaukee Road , The Electric Way Across the Mountains and Milwaukee Electrics is a couple that I'm looking to get.
pwolfe, true indeed mate!
And all, MANY THANKS for all the "safe trip home" much appreciated!
And of course some Milwaukee Road,
Little Joe (electric locomotive)
The Little Joe was a type of railroad electric locomotive built by General Electric for export to the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1946. The 20 locomotives of this type, although they were built for export, were diverted to United States and Brazilian railroads as relations between the US and USSR deteriorated into what became known as the Cold War. Railroaders referred to them as Little Joe Stalin's locomotives which was eventually shortened to simply Little Joe. Twelve locomotives went to the Milwaukee Road, three to the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad (the South Shore), and the remaining five to Brazil's Paulista Railway. Fourteen were built to the Soviet broad gauge of 5 ft (152 cm), and the final six were built to standard gauge. The Little Joes had twelve axles, eight of them powered, in a 2-D+D-2 arrangement. They were designed to operated on SZD (Soviet Railways)' 3300V DC catenary.
The Milwaukee Road used two for passenger service, designated EP-4, and the remaining ten for freight, designated EF-4. They were used on the railroad's electrified division in Montana and Idaho to take the place of older boxcab electrics that had been operating there since the 1920s. Three were received already built to standard gauge, while the rest were converted to standard gauge in the Milwaukee's shops. They lasted until the end of electric operation on the Milwaukee in 1974.
The South Shore, while primarily a commuter railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and northwestern Indiana, used them in freight service. They had to be modified to operate on 1500V DC catenary. In service on the South Shore the "Little Joe" name was not generally used; the locomotives were referred to as "800s." Two of the three lasted until 1983, making them the last electrics in regular mainline freight service on a US common-carrier railroad. Today, freight trains are pulled by diesel-electric locomotives.
The Companhia Paulista converted its Little Joes to its 5'3"/1.6m gauge. They became known as "Russas". When the Paulista became part of FEPASA in 1971, the Russas came with it. They continued to operate until 1999, becoming the last representatives of their class in revenue service. It was at this point that FEPASA was privatized, and electric operation was immediately ended.
As you all might have noticed I've become slightly bitten by the Milwaukee Road bug....
Hi Tom and all,
A round of Tui for all the crew please Leon.
Tom and all, that URL of the Wikipedia page is a real mystery, when I click on it I get a Pullman page with several search possibilities. Looks like you may have to Google it, Wikipedia British Pullman seems to work.
Pete. Enjoy your trip mate. Forgot to mention about The Tees-Tyne Pullman loco`s, in the late 50`s the Peppercorn Pacifics were on duty most of the time together with the occasional A4, I think it was about 61/62 when the Deltics took over on the run.
Tom. The exchange rate at the moment is NZ70 cents to the US dollar, their is a big mark up on periodicals over here! I have to toss a coin sometimes to choose which one I want!
Just a short visit, promise not to double up this time!
See ya, Allan
Hi Tom and all.
A round please RUTH. Off in the morning so I thought I would post some pics early.
These are from Alan from his trip to Ireland
The two diesels have taken over from the steam loco at Mullingar and are heading for Sligo.
The next photos are at Dromodon the line to Sligo, where there is a Narrow Gauge Museum, with narrow gauge diesel locos.
Dromod station.The bus was owned by the Great Northern Railway(Ireland) and is painted in their livery.
The 0-4-2T loco was built by Kerr Stuart in 1916 and rebuilt in 1993.
These should enlarge.
Well all I am sure there will be a lot of great posts for me to catch up on when I return from holiday, in the best bar in the ether.
Pete.
A pint of Bathams please RUTH.
ALLAN. Glad you enjoyed the LNER names, thanks for the kind words. Yes the corridor tender was a great idea, with regular non-stop runs between London and Edinburgh. I think the longest non-stop steam run was run by an A4 on the non-stop London- Edinburgh run when flooding on the northern end of the East Coast Main Line causes diversions and the mileage was longer but the train still made it non-stop. The locomotives must have been economical with the coal consumption.
A photo TOM took, of the actual corridor in the tender of A4 No 60010 'Dominion Of Canada' at the Exporail museum
As far as I know a Gresley Pacific still holds the non-stop steam record but it was set as far away from the ECML as it could be. In 1988 A3 FLYING SCOTSMAN ran between Parkes to Broken Hill in AUSTRALIA non-stop, a distance of 442 miles.
A link to the Flying Scotsman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A3_4472_Flying_Scotsman
Many thanks for the Bluebell link, it really is a great railway, hopefully it won't be too long before it links up with the BR system at East Grinstead. That is a great photo of the Standard 4 hauling those Pullman coaches on the Golden Arrow.
The cannon is at Edinburgh Castle, I believe.
When I first arrived here in mid Missouri there was a British railway magazine on sale, but I have not seen one for over 2 years now. I have Steam Railway and Railway Magazine on subscription as well as the U.S. Trains. The Brit mags take about 10 to14 (a bit more sometimes) days to arrive.
JAN Many thanks for the post on the EP and the EFs of the Milwaukee Road. Very interesting about those ‘quill' drive locomotives, it was a shame the suffered such problems after a promising start. That drive must have put a great stain on the driving wheels I would have thought.
Have a safe journey back to Glasgow
ERIC Thanks for the info on the E class. Another Our Place coincidence, in an earlier issue of Steam Railway there was a couple of photos of Swedish steam locos someone was asking for information on. Well this issue is the answer, and one loco is a 0-8-0 class E. It says the locomotive is No. 1100 and it was built by Nohab in 1911, it said it was later rebuilt to an E2. Do you know what was involved in the rebuilding from E to E2.
Good reminder of the rendezvous with that great photo of the Bi-Polar electric.
Try to stay cool in those 115F temperatures.
CM3 Thanks for the Pennsy info. It seems the LNER and the Pennsy had the lettering of the classes of steam locomotives, by their wheel arrangement, in common.
FERGIE Great to see you in Looking forward to seeing some more photos of your models and layout.
LARS It may have been my fault for BORIS'S latest ‘trouble'. I inadvertently gave him a large jar of the PPFs instead of a small one; still it was handy getting rid of the track gang at closing time.
My computer got jealous and crashed while I was getting the ‘build you own CNC link'. Good old Word saved the day though.
I hope you enjoy the Red for Danger book, as I told Tom, the book as a funny accent, I am sure DL will be able to help with any translations, while I am away.
Many thanks for the Milwaukee Road book covers, they have some great artwork on them, all good, but I think my favorite is the ‘Little Joes in the snowy mountains.
Talking of snow I wish I had the nerve to tell my misses it was her job.
DL Great to see you. It seems you are back as I am going away for a couple of weeks
I will look forward to reading your report of the Canada trip when I get back, there looks to be some real highlights.
TOM That was a bad accident in Rio de Janeiro. There was some about it on the news the link had more info.
Thanks for the kind words. I am taking a 35 mm camera with me, the bride is using the digital, she has fixed the auto focus, but I hope I
SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL
Bon Voyage Wolfman Pete!
You will be missed!
Tom 'n the Gang from "Our" Place!
Good to see the boyz help keep things active at the bar . . . Fergie, CM3 Shane 'n Lars - and the return of DL to the bar! Good to see y'all!
Time again for a Blast from the Past!
Passenger Railroad Nostalgia #54
Here's something to enjoy regarding the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) from a 1946 advertisement in my personal collection.
<Initially Posted on Page 211 of the Original Thread>
Your Holiday begins with "all aboard"
* When your Diesel-Electric Baltimore & Ohio luxury train glides smoothly from the station, you'll know your holiday has really started. Mile after mile, you'll enjoy the thrill of modern rail travel . . . the extra measure of pleasure for which B&O is so well-known.
* Outstanding with "holidayers" is the friendly courtesy of B&O people. In big and little services, alike, you'll constantly enjoy this warm hospitality . . . for courtesy is traditional on the B&O.
* And, when you visit B&O diners, you're in for a real "holiday treat." For, B&O is famous for its good food . . . prepared just the way you like it . . . at prices that are reasonable.
* Then, there's B&O's record for "on-time" dependability. Not only does B&O strive to make your travel time thoroughly enjoyable but it also makes a special point of seeing that you arrive at your destination on schedule!
* Yes, when you start your holiday with Baltimore & Ohio, the extra measure of pleasure given by such features as friendly courtesy, good food and "on-time" dependability will be proof why more and more travelers say:
NOW . . . AS ALWAYS - The B&O is the Way to Go! BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Enjoy! Tom
Hi Tom and all in
Back in the UK today - and missing those Canadian breakfasts! So I'll have a cooked breakfast - French Toast please, bacon, eggs, homefries, coffee and juice. Thanks a lot.
Anyway - my call in was the only chance I got to get near a ‘puter (and no bad thing I feel) - so I'll have some catching up to do - but if there are any specific questions for me do give me a nudge and I'll do my best to answer them. At least when I've had a read I'll be able to get the acknowledgements in - so apols there are none here today yet.
I'll try and get some report backs together but things of interest from my expeditions should include:
My disappointments included failing to get to Halton County street car museum (Rob will be rightly disappointed in me) and failure to get time to ride on any GO trains.
Hope everyone is well - more posting in due course.
DL
Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth my deAH what a treat for these old eyes to feast upon your radiance! <blush> It's the noon hour ‘round here, so time for a Larsman Special hero of ham ‘n Swiss with mustAHd ‘n buttAH along with two large ‘n extra crunchy pickles from the barrel! A stein of Piels will go well with it, if you please!
Boris, round up the crittAHs ‘n get ‘em fed. Surprised they're not lined up. A saucer of brine for Tex the Armadillo, tray of seeds for Awk the Parrott, bucket of ice cubes for Frostbite the Penguin, a chew bone for Juneau our mascot ‘n a field mouse for Artie the Owl - BUT, be sure to take him out back for THAT! <groan> Yes, yes, of course the small jar of pickled pigs feet (PPF) is for you. What's this about flatulence <fooooooo>
Now to the matters at hand.
For Da Boss: Great idea to come up with the new series! Liked the Jimmie Rodgers feature on train songs. Used to listen to all kinds of C&W aboard ship, but his songs were right up there with the best of the bunch! Sure, the ‘standards' from Hank ‘n Hank, Jr. were favorites, along with so many others. Can't leave out Willie, Waylon ‘n Johnny! Don't know what it is about sailors ‘n C&W music!
NOT happy about the Mets appearing to fold the tent with the Phillies. However, it ain't over ‘til it's over AND we're still on top in the east. <phew>
I'll be looking for the RR Book Relay to arrive. Mail has been kinda screwy, sometimes around noon, other times late afternoon. Thanx for putting me "in" as first!
For Jan: I see a pile of material that I'll most probably never get through. Too much, too fast for me . . . . I'll just have to take it on a slower bell. Overwhelmed is a good description. <phew>
Sure don't want to make it appear that you're being singled out, but Da Boss is RIGHT about quality over quantity. We've had periods of time where some guys just "got off" on dumping material at the bar. It would take forever to get through it all, only to find that when comments or questions were posted, the very same dumpers nevAH took the time to read the responses!!! Now that's BS, plain ‘n simple where I come from. NOT saying you're like that - just recounting some episodes from the past that come to mind.
As you've undoubtedly picked up on, I'm a supporter of the way Da Boss runs this joint. That's why I'm here. I enjoy the banter, the classic trains stuff ‘n "things" that go on. I don't frequent any other thread on the forums other than this one and Tom's other site. That's it. Why Because I have zero tolerance for most of the crap coming from sources without so much as an identity. Not for me.
Safe trip "home" to Scotland . . .
For Ron: Mighty fine calendar pix of those PRR trains. Aero train looks great as does that trailer train!
Oh yes - I crossed the Equator back in my USN days . . . fun initiation. Some guys just couldn't hack it. Officers were into it, big time, they seemed to really enjoy the event! Haven't thoguht about that in many years!
Sorry your post came out with that wide page crap, for it screwed things up for me to get through it all. Gotta watch out for the Urls, mate - that's where the problem is. Let Da Boss explain it, but he's RIGHT!
Do you have a machine shop nearby? If so, why not just explore the costs directly?? But it is more FUN to do these kinds of things yourself, huh Appears you've got some equipment and know how, for sure!
I've not machined anything for hobbies, mostly "things" for cars, around the house projects ‘n favors for friends. Probably spent more money making a part than what it would've cost to buy it. BUT I had fun along the way. Guess at one time it was a hobby of mine. Have kinda drifted away over the years since I've retired . . .
Found this link you may find interesting. Stick with it, there's lotsastuffinit! <grin>
http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/how-to-build-your-own-cnc-machine-part-1/
Appears that you ‘n I are "big boys" ‘n I'm not talking about locomotives! I've been referred to as "Mr. Clean" for most of my adult life ‘n there's a REASON! Got the waistline trimmed back though, but I'm "up there" nonetheless - 235 at last weigh in. <grin> Just a big square head with an appetite! <geesh>
For Pete: So THAT was the smell! <ugh> Thought Boris needed mouthwash!! Wrong end. <grin>
Read that Url from Da Boss on the war museum in Canada ‘n recall the conversations we had back a few months. Sounds like the changes are to be made, but not without the whimpering from the wrist-wringers, huh Agree with your "plan," dumping her off in the middle of London during Hitler's indiscriminate bombings might just wake her up to reality. <barf>
For Allan: Double the pleasure, huh Interesting how you got a "double take" so far apart. Usually they post within the same minute or maybe on
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please (New England Four Seasons Blend today); round for the house and $ for the jukebox. I notice we have all sorts of music-related posts today, so I'll let the rest of the barflies (oops, patrons) pick what they want to hear. Heavy low clouds here today as a cool front (relatively speaking) is just to our north. It is supposed to clear a bit later and be decent for the weekend. Gas is at $2.89 and football has begun.
James took us for a ride on the Olympian.
Lars stopped by - glad you made it back in one piece. Also appreciated the PRR material on the bookmobile. If you have not seen it, the Broadway Limited book is first-rate.
DD1 paid us a visit with machine shop information and some questions. I have a good friend who worked on the Centralia Mine Fire years ago when he was with the Bureau of Mines. There is a NEW book out titled The Day the Earth Caved In which deals with the fire - check it out.
The PRR classed their 4-4-2s in the "E" series. The subclass numbers ran from E1 to E28 to allow for mechanical variations, etc. There was one E6 on the roster, the most famous class was the E6s. Hope this clears things up a little. Now, Boris, you know that there was hardly any rhyme or reason to their numbering - that's why we have to search by class.
The calendar picture was a good one - Aerotrain and Truc Train in a generic middle division scene. See if you can find "Main Lines of Commerce." I have that one hanging in my office. It's one of may all-time PRR picture favorites. PRR for years was extremely conservative in their practices, then they took a flyer with all sorts of oddball designs, some of which may have worked if they had been tried earlier. Diesel technology, of course, made it a moot point.
Jan - I mentioned music postings above. Hank did, indeed, pass away in Oak Hill, although there is still a fair amount of controversy over the facts. The gas station is still there, although very much the worse for wear. Oak Hill was also famous for being the home of the plug-in Trainmaster (No, Frostbite, the locomotive, not the official).
Good summary of MILW electrics - thanks.
I like the idea of you Labor Day barbeque.
The 16 Mile Canyon shot is a keeper. Poor old Harding - we can discuss that at the rendezvous sometimes. BTW, what ever happened to Nan Britton? Anyway, the locomotive in which he rode had a commemorative plate affixed to the cab side after he made his trip. IIRC, and I am really reaching way back, there are some pictures around of Babe Ruth on several different MILW trains.
Fergie stopped by. Time to start working on the railroad - the weather must be getting cooler.
Eric - Kim? Yikes - he never met a hanging slider he didn't like to throw, especially with men on.
Allan visited - thanks for the words. A lot of the facilities mentiioned are around in one form or another. The one at Sodus Point burned back in the early 70s and there's only a few vestiges of what PRR once had there.
OSP stopped by as well with comments and summaries. The Killing of History citation you mentioned is the right one! Don't mean to screw you into the overhead, but the author does make some interesting arguments. All part of the plan to dumb folks down - that's all we'll say about that today.
I'll try and stop by later today if I can. If not, be careful and be safe and see you next week.
Work safe
<courtesy: www.viarail.ca>
What's to say other than HOORAY it's FRIDAY! <awwwwwright!> A double whammy - it's the END of August! <yeeeeeeeehawwwwwww>
The Mentor Village Bakery case is chock full o' good stuff, the coffee's ready, ‘n our Menu Board has some fine <light> ‘n <traditional> breakfast selections! So, whattyawaitfor
As the month of August fades into memory, so has the oppressive heat. I believe there's been a record set for the hottest August in these parts, and supposedly the average temp has been in the mid-90s (F). Now that's HOT in my "book"! <ugh> First few days in September are forecast to be in the lo-90s, but there's "talk" of a coming change. Can't get here quick enough for Juneau ‘n Moi! <grin>
Petrol still holding rather low at $2. 65 (rounded) up at "Collusion Corner," where they've been reconstructing two of the three stations to include car washes ‘n food service. Apparently there's far too much money in their game, eh Wonder where it came from <arrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh>
OFF THE WIRE:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2007/08/30/brazil-train.html
STILL WAITING: No help forthcoming for "my other Thread"
Jan (JanOlov) at 4:27 PM Thursday - Aug 30th: Wrapping up a mega-day of Posting with a Milwaukee Road epistle on the Bi-Polar EP2 (what else, eh ??)
<tweeting> violations are generally "worked off" on Saturdays . . . <uh oh>
Safe trip home - ‘n thanx for the round ‘n cigars!
Pete (pwolfe) at 5:54 PM Thursday - Aug 30th: Another fine inclusive, informative ‘n interesting Post from our Mid-MO Connection, the Wolfman!
Dropping off that overly misinformed revisionist historian at the height of the London Blitz would be poetic justice given the remarks attributed to her! Grand idea.
So THAT's why "War & Peace" is behind the bar! <ohhhhhhhhhh>
I see you too are a "lyric listener" - or in this case "reader." Some mighty poignant phrases have come from the Troubadours of the Rails!
Mention of the TrainWreck Saloon brings to mind that we've got something to look forward to once you return from the Left Coast! Perhaps we can also begin some planning for a return trip to Chicago by Amtrak. Fall is a nice time to ride the rails!
That Hagar the Horrible cartoon is YOU!!
Appreciate the visit, as always, ‘n of course the round!
Allan (Gunneral) at 8:31 PM ‘n 8:39 PM Thursday - Aug 30th: A "double dip" from our Resident Down Under NZ Connection! Won't even question how you managed to do that, Mate! <grin>
BlueBill link came up quite well - enjoyed checking it out! Wikipedia Pullman (UK) was a "blank" <uh oh>
Good news regarding your planned participation in our RR BOOK RELAY 2007! You'll be added to the list!
$15NZ a copy for MRR I had to do a "double take" on that one! <arrrrrrgggggghhhh> Exchange rates can't be that far off - or are they!?!?!?!
A fine inclusive, informative ‘n interesting Post from ya, Mate! Thanx for the rounds - plural - since you Posted TWICE! <grin>
Jan (JanOlov) at 12:09 AM today - Aug 31st: What ANOTHER Milwaukee Road epistle from the man who apparently never sleeps (or strays very far from the keyboard!)
A wee bit early for heavy reading - so I'll put your latest on "the stack of stuff" . . .
Good Morning All
I'll have a XXL Cafe with the works please.
Not too much on the go here except a heavy rain fall warning in effect, which translates to a "Train Day". Thinking of expanding the MESS empire, We'll keep ya posted.
As always love the pics!
Fergie
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=5959
If one could roll back the hands of time... They would be waiting for the next train into the future. A. H. Francey 1921-2007
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, my friend. I think it is time for an early breakfast, you know, a huge Cheese Danish and a black cup of coffee! Thank you!
This was kind of a busy place today. JanOlov must have spent most of the day here!
Tom – X2000 always flick my switch! You should know how much misinformation that is out there. Frequently I have to post in that Swedish train forum to correct misunderstandings and lies. Gosh, now you made me feel bad, I never submitted the correction to Wikipedia about Stockholm Central Station. I started on it (there is a file in a folder somewhere) but never finished beacause I needed some updated information to get everything correct about how it is today. I think it is important to always remember that Wikipedia is not necesserily always correct. There is an awful lot of correct info there but you have to check as much as possible. Railroad songs! Don’t forget Boxcar Willie! I have a longplaying record with him I haven’t played for years. I'll try to put together a list of the RR songs I have. Snakes were doing pretty good tonight (I thought), being ahead 8-0 against the Padres. All of the sudden it was 8-7! They managed to win though. Barely. I know how you feel about the 15-game loser! Snakes did a very strange thing this summer, they got Kim (pitcher) back and no one could understand why they wanted him back. He pitched a number of innings in two or three games and screwed up completely. He was let go again. Fergie – Good to see you back again, Sir! Glad to hear you will contiue your dad’s legacy! The right thing to do! Hope to see you soon again! JanOlov – Nice pictures of Hudson #141 and the Fairbanks-Morse’s “Erie”, a 2,000 hp locomotive!Thanks for the info on Hank Williams, a very classy country singer who died way too soon! Nice Milwaukee pix from the line. The top one (train 18) is kind of rigged. The train is not moving (check the steam from the car heating, it goes stright up) and at least one person is standing outside.The Bi-Polar is an interesting locomotive. Here is a picture of the one inSt. Louis.Interesting info on Milwaukee’s electrics! Especially the part about the EP-3s! Light frame and heavy running gear. And a lot of problems came along!
You have been very busy today!
CM3 – You are right, it is a dry heat so don’t worry! Hmmm, did I forget something? Dry or not, it is hot and when it gets over 115° it is hot like hell! So there is another eclipse coming up in February? I missed this last one, but my wife saw it. Interesting info on PRR’s coal docks! I’ve been to Sandusky and Cleveland but missed to look for them. I guess they are long gone now?Thanks for the link to the PRR Documents! I already downloaded a number of documents! Very interesting place! I bookmarked that site.James – Thank you for the info on the Olympian Hiawatha!! Perfect timing with JanOlov’s picture! Looking forward to the next part!Lars – This is going to be declared the hottest summer in Phoenix on record in a few days I’ve been told. I believe them. But, you know, when it is this hot I am just thinking about things I don’t have to do in six months. Like shoveling snow, freezing, trying to start a dead car when it is 20 below and all those “nice” wintry things. Nice book covers of those PRR books (and one DVD)! There is so much to read. I should have started years ago. Thanks!!Ron – You have collected some nice songs! I think you should add The City of New Orleans with Willie Nelson! I like his version the best! There are quite a few RR songs out there. I have some of the same ones you have and I have some other ones as well. I don’t understand Spanish but I think it says that the railroad line is abandoned east of Rio Blanco. Is that correct? Sad pictures to look at. Mother nature is slowly taking everything back. Thanks for the link! Your state was one of few we never visited on our tours around the country with X2. Class E could very likely have had Stephenson’s Valve Gear. I checked some of my books last night but could not find the info. Pete – They are removing grade crossings in Sweden every year, but it is a slow process. There are so many of them and it costs a lot of money. But they are working on it. I don’t recall the exact number of Class E being built, but it was 130+ locomotives. They were built for the cold climate in northern Sweden and had a completley covered cab.
Greetings young Master Tom and fellow youths.....
I think that I'll have a cup of tea this morning with some honey in it please. Give the boys a top up as well if you don't mind.
Puts some $$$ in the tip jar and juke box.
I see that Tom isn't in yet to show me my duties, gives me a chance for a quick nap, goody...
Milwaukee Road class EP-1, EF-1, EF-2, EF-3, and EF-5.The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) classes EP-1 and EF-1 comprised 84 boxcab electric locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1915. Electrical components were from General Electric. The locomotives were semi-permanently coupled back-to-back in pairs, and numbered as a pair with 'A' and 'B' suffixes. As built, 30 pairs were assigned to freight service, classified as EF-1. The remaining twelve pairs were assigned to passenger service as class EP-1, with higher-speed passenger gearing. The design was highly successful, replacing a much larger number of steam locomotives, cutting costs and improving schedules.
In 1919, with the arrival of a newer generation of passenger power, the EP-1 locomotives were converted to EF-1 freight locomotives. In this role, they served until the 1950s, when the arrival of the Little Joe locomotives began to replace them in freight service.
Milwaukee Road 2-unit boxcab electric locomotive #E50, class EF-1.
Technical information
They were fitted with multiple-unit train control systems, and could thus be joined together into larger sets and operated from a single control station.
The two powered trucks were connected together with a ball-and-socket joint, and the couplers were also attached to the trucks. The bodywork, therefore, did not take the load of the train. Each truck had outside bar frames, allowing more room for the traction motors and equipment. The front powered truck's frames extended forward and carried an outrigger truck and the heavy snowplows the units bore.
Each driven axle was powered by two motors geared to it, in similar manner to successful later designs such as the PRR GG1.
EF-1 #10203, as new.
EF-2, EF-3 and EF-5
In the 1930s, with train tonnage increasing, the Milwaukee began to create three-unit locomotives out of the boxcab units. A simple combination of three was classified EF-2. Twenty-four such combinations were assembled. On these, the cab on the center unit was unnecessary and just added weight and length. Twelve more units were therefore shortened by removing the cab, the pilot truck and the frame extension; these were nicknamed "bobtails". These were assembled in between two standard units to create twelve EF-3 sets.
Later, some four-unit locomotives were created; these were classified EF-5 and could have any combination of regular or bobtail units in the center two positions.
EF-1 side-view drawing.
EP-1AIn 1950, two EF-1 locomotives, E22A/B and E23A/B were converted back into passenger service as class EP-1A to help the aging Bi-Polars on the Puget Sound Extension. E22 received some smoothing of its appearance, including somewhat "streamlined" cab fronts. They were repainted into the Union Pacific Railroad scheme of Armor Yellow with Harbor Mist Gray roofs, and red dividing lines. These two locomotives served until the 1960s in this role; at some point, the units of E23 became center units of a 4-unit E22.
Milwaukee Road class EP-3
The Milwaukee Road's class EP-3 comprised ten electric locomotives built in 1919 by Baldwin and Westinghouse. They were nicknamed Quills because of their use of a quill drive. Although they were good haulers and well liked by engineers, poor design and constant mechanical problems plagued them for their entire lives and they were the first of the Milwaukee Road's electric locomotives to be retired.
DesignWhen the Milwaukee Road decided to electrify the Coast Division in 1917, it attempted to re-equip with equipment bought from General Electric. The United States Railroad Administration, however, dictated that the order for electrical equipment be split between GE and Westinghouse. This meant that of the 15 electric locomotives needed, five (the EP-2s, or bi-polars) came from GE and 10 - the EP-3s - came from Westinghouse.
The EP-3s, while designed to meet the same specifications as the bi-polars, were a completely different design from their GE counterparts. Their appearance was sleeker, ableit less distinctive, with a single long boxcab-style carbody containing all of the electric equipment. Their wheel arrangement was the same as a back-to-back pair of 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam engines, complete with high 68" drivers. They were double-ended and designed for high-speed passenger service.
General arrangement drawing.
The most noteworthy aspect of their design was the motor mounting system. The locomotive's six 566hp traction motors were mounted directly to the frame, one above each driving axle. They were geared to a "quill," a steel tube 15 inches in diameter that was mounted around the axle. At each end of the quill, seven-armed "spiders" stuck out between the spokes of the driving wheels, and were connected to the drivers by coil springs. This system, which was later used very effectively on the famous GG1 locomotive, minimized weight suspended directly from the axles, as the traction motors were bolted directly to the locomotive frame.
One of the Quill's two frame and motor assemblies.
Design flaws and rebuilding
The "Quills" entered service between late 1919 and early 1921 and assigned numbers 10300-10309. Assigned mainly to the Mountain Division, they were immediately popular with crews. They could easily pull trains exceeding design specifications at 70-80mph. They didn't slip like the GE boxcabs and they were much smoother-riding than the bi-polars.
Within a year of entering service, however, severe design flaws began to become apparent. The EP-3s were virtually identical to the New Haven's class EP-2 locomotives, but were heavier in weight and had a much more lightly-built frame. The Milwaukee Road's new EP-3s, unlike the trouble-free New Haven boxcabs of similar design, immediately started experiencing broken axles and frame members, cracked wheels and spokes, and deformed suspension springs.
It was an embarrassment for Westinghouse, which had designed the locomotives far too lightly and rigidly. There was too little lateral play in the drivers, causing excessive wheel wear, and the frames were breaking under the stress of high-speed operation through twisting mountain rights-of-way. During 1922 a series of meetings was held to work on design changes for the locomotives.
Baldwin, which had built the locomotiv
Leon, a round of Tui for all the crew please.
Tom. The Bluebell railway in the "OLD" country runs some restored Pullman coaches as a dining trip, they look realy great in their "Chocolate and Cream" livery that Pullman used in Britain, you will find them at;
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk
You will find them on the "Golden Arrow" part of the site, their is also some info about the Brit Pullmans at;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_train_(UK)
Really enjoyed your very informative posts and pics, great pics and info on the Swedish railways, still a lot to catch up on at the moment!
Pete. Many thanks for the LNER loco write up, great reading, I am saving the page in my folders. What was truly unique about the Gresley Pacifics was the corridor tenders to allow for footplate crew changes on the Edinburgh non-stop runs, at 400 miles I think it was, and still is, the longest non stop run for a steam loco! I manage to get some of the main UK and US rail magazines at the main centre of Hastings which is 30mls north us here, I just buy them on availability, mostly MRR, Classic Trains and sometimes The Railway Magazine when it`s on the shelf, most of them are 3 times the stated price. MRR is NZ$15 a copy over here! Mon`s Meg was named after a big cannon used in the battle of Mon`s way back when, as an ex Artilleryman the name stuck in the old memory banks I think it is on display at Edinburgh Castle or on the Front Parade at Woolwich Barracks in SE London? Really enjoyed all you`re pics and posts.
Ron. You will find the info on the Brit Pullmans on the sites I gave to Tom, Pullman in the UK were`nt affected by the anti-trust laws you have over there. Enjoyed all you`re posts and pics.
Lars. Good to see you back on board with you`re usual interesting pics and info!
Eric. Good to see you are getting back to normal now, take it easy going back to work mate! Enjoyed reading all you`re posts, great pics.
Jan. Tomorrow, Saturday is my usual Full English Breakfast day, eggs over easy please. Great selection of pics and info on you`re posts.
James. Good to see you on board, very interested in you`re Milwaukee posts.
Fergie. Great to see you back again mate.
Dan. Looking forward to the news of you`re trip, safe journey home.
Mike. Hope it`s cooled down a bit at Bootcamp over there!
CM3. Enjoyed you`re post about the coal loaders.
PS Tom will send you an e-mail re Pete`s book circulation.
JAMES Good to see you back. There is a lot of great posts to catch up on and some great photos on the Milwaukee Road from Jan.
That is a fine building, the Milwaukee Depot in Minneapolis, thanks for the history of the depot and the ‘State of the art' Olympian.
ERIC Thanks for the first hand information on the X2000, it must have been an honor to be picked to drive on the first revenue run.
It really is a shame that the info in Wikipedia is wrong in regards to the X2000 .99.8% is a very good availability figure for the class.
Are there any plans to remove the grade crossings, on the Swedish Railways to allow the X2000 to run faster and reduce traveling times do you know. They are spending a lot of money on the West Coast Main Line in England to remove the crossings.
I see the class E locos was built for 10 years; they must have been a successful class.
Glad you liked Part 4 of the named locos. There were a great number of steam locomotives scrapped on BR in the 1960s and they were scrapped in a very short time. But for the wonder of Dai Woodham's scrapyard in Barry, South Wales, where over 200 locos were saved from, the British preservation scene would be a lot poorer Unfortunately only one ex LNER loco made it to Barry. The second photo is of an A4, one of 6 that were saved. 2 of the A4s are in North America now.
FERGIE. Many thanks for your post; I am sure those books will give you great memories every time you read them.
JAN YES I would have to say I am an LMS man as that was the main line through my home town of Rugby, we did have the LNER through Rugby on the old Great Central line but it was always quiet compared to the LMS, The GC did have A3 Pacifics on the line but it was just before my time
Thanks for the Milwaukee photos. That is an impressive looking diesel.
That is a rather sad story of Hank Williams, with him being in a lot of pain and with his death at the young age of 29. His music lives on though.
Great post on the Milwaukee Bi- Polars.
CM3 Got the new Trains mag today in the post and the photo of the 6 UP heritage units is good. I think the two I like best are the Southern Pacific and the Rio Grande.
Thanks for the Pennsy coal details; the amount of work there must have been put into the Pennsy site in the link is amazing. One to return to indeed.
LARS The Managers back Enjoyed the cartoon, I can't see Hagar running up a six month bar tab with LEON about.
Yes the bar has done well with the takings up and the damage down, I think the hot weather has had a effect on the track gang. Apart from the pickled pigs feet giving BORIS a touch of Flatulence every thing is fine at the bar, even the ‘Admin Duties' have been left untouched.
Thanks for the wishes on our vacation, we have got Balboa Park and the museum in Sacramento on the itinerary, and we have found a museum railroad in Poway
Great set of Pennsy book and video covers.
RON Those railroad tunes will sound great on the Herr Wurlitzer, indeed some I have not heard before. Perhaps we can have a railroad themed musical night at the Emporium.
TOM Time does fly by when we are having a talk; it seems to go by even faster when we are in the TrainWreck saloon.
It is good to hear at least one of the heritage painted diesel has been through here, I bet when I do see one I won't have the camera with me. I agree I think UP deserves praise for painting the new locomotives in heritage liveries and adding a bit of color to the scene
Greetings Tom and gents,
An extra cold Guinness for me and a DOUBLE top up plus Cuban for the lads please....puts some $$$ in the tip jar and jukebox.
Tom, Just tell me when to show up for my "service" and I'll be there with bucket, rugs and toothbrush, to work my shameful misbehavior off...
I'll put things back to normal tomorrow or Saturday, since I travel back from Sweden to Glasgow all day...
Milwaukee Road class EP-2
The Milwaukee Road's class EP-2 comprised five electric locomotives built by General Electric in 1919. They were often known as Bi-Polars, which referred to the bi-polar electric motors they used. Among the most distinctive and powerful electric locomotives of their time, they epitomized the modernization of the Milwaukee Road. They came to symbolize the railroad during their nearly 40 years of use and remain an enduring image of mainline electrification.
Design
In 1917, following the tremendous success of the 1915 electrification of the Mountain Division, the Milwaukee Road decided to proceed with electrifying the Coast Division. As part of this project it ordered five new electric locomotives from General Electric for $200,000 apiece. Their design was radically different from the boxcab locomotives provided by GE for the initial electrification of the Mountain Division two years earlier.
The most remarkable mechanical improvement was arguably the electric motors used on the new locomotives. They were known as bi-polar motors because each of the locomotive's 12 traction motors had only two field poles, mounted directly to the locomotive frame beside the axle. The motor armature was mounted directly on the axle providing an entirely gearless design. This design was almost entirely noiseless as it eliminated not only gear tooth growl but also the whine of higher-RPM electric motors typically used in standard nose-mounted applications. The EP-2s were not the first electric locomotives to use bi-polar motors, which had first been designed by Asa F. Batchelder for the New York Central S-motors over a decade earlier, but at the time they were the largest.
The layout of the bi-polars was unusual as well. The locomotive body was in three sections. A small center section contained the boiler for generating heat for the train, while the much larger end sections contained the locomotive's electrical equipment in distinctive round-topped compartments. The locomotive's frame was in four pieces, hinged at the joints, with the two middle sections attached to the end sections of the locomotive body. There were twelve sets of drivers plus a single-axle idler at each end, for a 1B-D+D-B1 wheel arrangement. All buffering forces were transmitted through the locomotive frame.
The bi-polars were designed to be able to pull any Milwaukee Road passenger train singly, and were delivered without multiple unit controls. GE claimed a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h) for the locomotives but the Milwaukee Road performance charts rated them at 70 mph (115 km/h). They were rated at 3,180 continuous horsepower (2.37 MW) with a continuous tractive effort of 42,000 lbf and a starting tractive effort of 116,000 lbf.
Service history
When the bi-polars were introduced, their modernity and distinctive design made them the most famous of the Milwaukee Road's electric locomotives. They came to symbolize the Olympian, the railroad's premier train from Chicago to Seattle. Their unique appearance and power made them ideal for publicity purposes, and there was a series of demonstrations in which a bi-polar was able to out-pull contemporary steam locomotives. During a short period of testing on the Mountain Division, the EP-2s were shown to be less expensive to operate than the GE and Westinghouse electric locomotives then in use.
Milwaukee Road EP-2 "Bi-Polar" leaving Seattle, 1925
The five EP-2s, numbered 10250-10254, were placed into regular service in 1919 on the Coast Division. The Milwaukee Road saw immediate cost savings over the steam locomotives previously in use, as the bi-polars could run from Tacoma to Othello without stopping for servicing and could haul trains up grades that had required double-heading steam engines.
The bi-polars operated on the Coast Division from 1919 to 1957, for most of that period without any serious rebuilding. In 1939 they were renumbered E1-E5. In 1953 all five of the EP-2s, which were 35 years old and worn out from heavy wartime service, were heavily rebuilt by the Milwaukee Road at a cost of about $40,000 per locomotive. The rebuild included additional traction motor shunts for increased speed, roller bearings, multiple unit capability, flash boilers, and streamlining. Unfortunately the Milwaukee Shop forces, unaccustomed to working on electric locomotives, did a "poor job" in the opinion of Electrification Department Head Laurence Wylie. Afterwards the bi-polars were prone to electrical fires and failures.
Between 1954 and 1957 the bi-polars saw decreased use, and in mid-1957 were transferred off the Coast Division to the Mountain Division. Their problems persisted, and between 1958 and 1960 all five were gradually retired. In 1962 all except for E2 were towed to Seattle and scrapped. Locomotive E2 was donated to the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri in 1962 and moved there that year. It has remained on static display ever since, and has been fully restored to its appearance immediately after its 1953 rebuilding.
Sorry but I need to go and get some sleep, early start tomorrow...
Looks like there's been a flurry of activity, so perhaps it's time to catch up . . .
Fergie (Fergmiester) at 7:18 AM Thursday - Aug 30th: Good to see ya, Mate - now let's belly up to the bar, order something ‘n PARTICPATE! Otherwise, it's the <tweeter> for ye!
Jan (JanOlov) at 7:19 AM Thursday - Aug 30th: Wondered if you'd acknowledge the X2000 material - glad you enjoyed it!
For the guys who've been ‘round this joint for the long term, they know I make the pizza - roll the dough, set out the ‘secret' ingredients, ‘n all the kitchen staff needs to do is pop ‘em in the oven at 500 degrees (F) . . . . nothing to it. NY Style Pizza is our speciality. However, variations are up the interim-Chief Chef, just as long as the Proprietor's Pie isn't sacrificed! <groan>
Appears you'll have a "partner" with the Milwaukee Road interest . . . two nice fotos by the by!
I didn't notice a drink order or food - sooooooooo, <tweeeeeeeeeet> <tweeeeeeeeeeet> Rules Violation! Rules Violation! Failure to order a drink and/or food - Rule #2. Penalty: clean the brass rails at the base of the bar! <gotcha!>
CM3 Shane (coalminer3) at 9:08 AM Thursday - Aug 30th: The last first - that's a great Pennsy link, ‘n methinks I will be spending some time this holiday weekend checking out the sights! Thanx fer sure, fer sure.
Very familiar with the Amboys - Perth in particular. While my growing up days were across from the Bayonne Bridge between Staten Island ‘n Bayonne, NJ, we had family in Tottenville, directly across from Perth Amboy, NJ. Used to "run" amok over there as a teenager from time to time . . . great Drive-In Theatre if I recall. But that's a long, long time ago when my '53 Studebaker Champion coupe was primary mode of transportation! <grin>
Killing of History is on my "list" - if Keith Windschuttle is the author, then I've located it on amazon.com. Reviews are rather revealing - recommend you take a look. I'm going to order it - nothing like something ELSE to screw me into the "overhead"!!! <grin> Thanx, I think!
If our Chicago Rendezvous holds together, looks like we'll have quit a "rant" session - perhaps we should put ‘em on the agenda! <grin>
Many thanx for the fine Post, round ‘n quarters!
James (CMSTPP) at 11:13 AM Thursday - Aug 30th: It's admirable that you want to rejoin us, but you do have an uphill climb. We've seen guys drop off the Earth for months at a time, some never have returned, others did so for a Post or three, but hardly can recall any who have picked up where they left off. Too many Pages, new customers, ‘n so forth. We'll see how things develop . . .
Undoubtedly the Milwaukee Road "stuff" will keep you ‘n our newfound friend in Scotland, quite content.
Round, visit ‘n chat appreciated!
Lars (LoveDomes) at 11:34 AM Thursday - Aug 30th: The Larsman returneth! Now we can "right the ship" ‘n get back on course - steady as she does, Mate!
Doesn't appear that any division in the NL is secure, eh I too figured the Mets were a "shoe in" - but doesn't appear to be so. Cardinals have turned me off all year ‘n I refuse to get excited about repeating their "miracle" from last year. They really don't have the "horses," but I'm surprised that they have made a comeback . . .
Love the Pennsy covers - books ‘n video - all look terrific!
Don't worry about Pete's "slot" while he's gone - do what you can. If you are able to take some of the slack out of the mid-late afternoons, I'll stick to mornings. No one else has offered . . . either means not reading, or just not willing. Oh well . . . .
Two rounds, visit, chat ‘n covers most appreciated!
Ron (DD1) at 1:27 PM Thursday - Aug 30th: Our Southern Gentleman from Mississippi (aka: New YAWK transplant!) arrived with a nice Post, but unfortunately it was a WIDE PAGE phenom . . .
First of all I'd like to apologise Tom and all for the slightly long post about Hank Williams from Wiki. Because of that I'll offer you all something as a bribe to sweep this under the carpet, while listening to Williams and his fellow musicians playing some good ol' country and railroad music.
Soooo, Friday's menu is slightly different from usual as I'll throw you gents a large BBQ with everything included. First a Limousine will pick you up and take you to secret spot, so that you don't have to worry about transportation there and back for you and your family.
There we'll enjoy some good food, music and heavy railroad talk.
And of course some Milwaukee Road pics....
Eastbound Columbian, train 18, along St Joe River in 1929.
A Westinghouse "Quill" leads another Olympian through 16 Mile Canyon in the early 1920's.
Hank's successful radio show fueled his entrance to a music career. His generous salary was enough for him to start his own band, which he dubbed the Drifting Cowboys. The original members of the band were guitarist Braxton Schuffert, fiddler Freddie Beach, and comic Smith "Hezzy" Adair. The Drifting Cowboys travelled throughout central and southern Alabama, performing in clubs and at private parties. Hank dropped out of school in October, 1939, so that the Drifting Cowboys could work full time.
Lillie Williams stepped up to be the Drifting Cowboys' manager. She began booking show dates, negotiating prices, and driving them to some of their shows. Now free to travel without Hank's school schedule taking precedence, the band was able to tour as far away as western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle. Meanwhile, Hank returned to Montgomery every weekday to host his radio show.
The nation's entrance into World War II in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Hank Williams. All his band members were drafted to serve in the military, and many of their replacements refused to continue playing in the band because of Hank's worsening alcoholism. His idol, Grand Ol Opry star Roy Acuff warned him of the dangers of alcohol, saying "You've got a million-dollar voice[,] son, but a ten-cent brain." Despite Acuff's advice, Williams continued to show up for his radio show intoxicated, so in August, 1942, WSFA fired him due to "habitual drunkenness."
Later career
Williams had 11 number 1 hits in his short career - "Lovesick Blues", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Why Don't You Love Me?", "Moanin' the Blues", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey Good Lookin'", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive", "Kaw-Liga", "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Take These Chains From My Heart" - and also had many other top 10 hits.
In 1943, Williams met Audrey Shepard, and the couple was married a year later. Audrey also became his manager as Williams' career was rising and he became a local celebrity. In 1946, Williams recorded two singles for Ste3rling Records, "Never Again" (1946) and "Honky Tonkin'" (1947), both of which were successful. Williams soon signed with MGM Records, and released "Move It On Over", a massive country hit. In August of 1948, Williams joined The Louisiana hayride, broadcasting from Shreveport Louisiana, propelling him into living rooms all over the southeast. After a few more moderate hits, Williams released his version of Rex Griffin's "Lovesick Blues" in 1949, which became a huge country hit and crossed over to mainstream audiences. That year, Williams sang the song at the Grand Ole Opry, where he became the first performer to receive six encores. In addition, Hank brought together Bob McNett (guitar), Hillous Butrum (bass), Jerry Rivers (fiddle) and Don Helms (steel guitar) to form the most famous version of the Drifting Cowboys; also that year, Audrey Williams gave birth to Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.). 1949 also saw Williams release seven hit songs after "Lovesick Blues", including "Wedding Bells", "Mind Your Own Business", "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It".
In 1950, Williams began recording as Luke the Drifter, an appellation given to Williams for use in identifying his more moralistic and religious-themed recordings, many of which are recitations rather than his usual crooning. Fearful that disc jockeys and jukebox operators would become hesitant to accept these non-traditional Williams recordings, thereby hurting the marketability of Williams's name, the name "Luke the Drifter" was employed to cloak the identity of the artist - though the source of the recordings was quite evident. Around this time, Williams released more hit songs, such as "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy", "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me", "Why Should We Try Anymore?", "Nobody's Lonesome for Me", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Why Don't You Love Me?", "Moanin' the Blues" and "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'". In 1951, "Dear John" became a hit but the B-side, "Cold, Cold Heart", has endured as one of his most famous songs, aided by the #1 pop version by Tony Bennett in 1951 being the first of many recordings of Williams' songs in a non-country genre. ("Cold, Cold Heart" has subsequently been covered by Guy Mitchell, Teresa Brewer, Dinah Washington, Lucinda Williams, Cowboy Junkies, Frankie Laine, Jo Stafford, and Norah Jones, among others). That same year, Williams released other hits, including the enduring classic "Crazy Heart".
Despite Hank's numerous country hits, the legend of Hank Williams seems to rest in the duality of his writings. On one hand, Hank would sing about having a rowdy time ("Honky Tonkin'") or drifting aimlessly ("Lost Highway"), but would then sing religious songs of remorse, most particularly, the title track to the album "I Saw The Light."
However, Williams' life would become unmanageable due to his success. His marriage, always turbulent, was rapidly disintegrating, and he developed a serious problem with alcohol, morphine and other painkillers. Much of this abuse came from attempts to ease his severe back pain. In 1952, Hank and Audrey separated and he moved in with his mother, even as he released numerous hit songs, such as "Half as Much", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "Settin' the Woods on Fire", "You Win Again" and "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive". Williams' drug problems continued to spiral out of control as he moved to Nashville and officially divorced his wife. A relationship with Bobby Jett during this period resulted in a daughter, Jett, who would be born just after his death.
In October 1952, Williams was fired from the Grand Ole Opry. Told not to return until he was sober, he instead rejoined the Louisiana Hayride. On October 18, 1952, he married Billie Jean Jones Eshliman. A ceremony was held at the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium and 14,000 people bought tickets to attend. Soon after, the Drifting Cowboys decided to part ways with Williams. Their departure was due to Hank drinking more than a show would pay.
Death
On January 1, 1953, Williams was due to play in Canton, Ohio, but he was unable to fly due to weather problems. He hired a chauffeur and, before leaving the old Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, injected himself with B12 and morphine. He then left in a Cadillac, though contrary to popular belief, he did not have a bottle of whiskey with him. He was trying to get his career back on track by proving to promoters that he could be sober and reliable. The only items found in the backseat of Hank's car were a few cans of beer and the hand-written lyrics to an unrecorded song, "Then Came That Fateful Day."
When the seventeen year-old chauffeur Charles Carr pulled over at an all-night service station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, he discovered that Williams was unresponsive and becoming rigid[3] Upon closer examination, it was discovered that Hank Williams was dead at age 29. Controversy has since surrounded Williams' death with some claiming Williams was dead before leaving Knoxville.[4] Approximate estimation of Hank's death is around 3:00 AM.
Williams' final single was ominously titled "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive". Five days after his death, his illegitimate daughter by Bobbie Jett (Jett Williams) was born. His widow, Billie Jean, married country singer Johnny Horton in September of that year (1953).
Legacy and influence
His son Hank Williams, Jr., daughter Jett Williams, grandson Hank Williams III, and granddaughters Hilary Williams and Holly Williams are also country musicians.
Hank Williams' remains are interred at the Oakwood Annex in Montgomery, Alabama. His funeral was said to have been far larger than any ever held for a citizen of Alabama and is still, as of 2005, the largest such event ever held in Montgomery. As of 2005, more than fifty years after Williams' death, members of his Drifting Cowboys continue to tour and bring his music to generations of fans.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #74 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[5] The website "Acclaimedmusic" collates recommendations of albums and recording artists. There is a year-by-year recommendation for top artists. For the period 1900 - 1949, Hank Williams is ranked as number 1.
In February 2005 the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling stating that Hank Williams' heirs - son Hank Williams Jr. and daughter Jett Williams - have the sole rights to sell his old recordings made for a Nashville, Tennessee radio station in the early '50s. The court rejected claims made by Polygram Records and Legacy Entertainment in releasing recordings Williams made for the "Mother's Best Flour Show", a program that originally aired on WSM-AM. The recordings, which Legacy Entertainment acquired in 1997, include live versions of Williams' hits and his cover version of other songs. Polygram contended that Williams' contract with MGM Records, which Polygram now owns, gave them rights to release the radio recordings.
Greetings Headmaster Tom and gentlemen....
May I have an extra cold Guinness for me and a round plus a Cuban around the house...
Tom, great read my good man!
Hiram "Hank" King Williams (September 17, 1923 - January 1, 1953) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who has also become an icon of country music and rock 'n' roll, and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. A leading exponent of the honky tonk style, he had numerous hit records, and his charismatic performances and succinct compositions increased his fame. His songbook is one of the backbones of country music, and several are pop standards as well. He has been covered in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles. His premature death at the age of 29 helped fuel his legend. His son Hank Williams Jr., his daughter Jett Williams, and his grandchildren Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, and Hilary Williams are also professional singers.
Birth
Hiram King Williams was born in 1923, in the small unincorporated town of Mount Olive, about eight miles southwest of Georgiana, Alabama. He was named after Hiram I of Tyre, but his name was misspelled as "Hiriam" on his birth certificate.[1] He was born with a mild undiagnosed case of spina bifida occulta, a disorder of the spinal column, which gave him life-long pain-a factor in his later abuse of alcohol and drugs. His parents were Elonzo Huble Williams, known as "Lon," or "Lonnie", a train conductor for a regional lumber company and World War I veteran, and Jessie Lillybelle Williams, known as "Lillie". He had an older sister named Irene. He also had a still-born brother.
Early childhood
During his early childhood, the Williams family moved frequently throughout southern Alabama as his father's job required. In 1930, when Williams was seven years old, his father began suffering from face paralysis. At a VA clinic in Pensacola, Florida, doctors determined that the cause was a brain aneurysm, so they sent Elonzo Williams to the VA Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana. Lonnie remained hospitalized for eight years and was therefore mostly absent throughout Hank's childhood.
In 1931, Lillie Williams settled her family in Georgiana, Alabama, where she worked as the manager of a boarding house. She managed to find several side jobs to support her children, despite the bleak economic climate of the Great Depression. She worked in a cannery and served as a night-shift nurse in the local hospital. Hiram and Irene also helped out by selling peanuts, shining shoes, delivering newspapers, and doing other simple jobs. With the help of U.S. Representative J. Lister Hill, the family began collecting Lon's military disability pension. Despite Lon's medical condition, the Williams family managed fairly well financially throughout the Depression.
Preteen years
In 1933, Hank Williams moved to Fountain, Alabama, to live with his uncle and aunt, Walter and Alice McNeil. Meanwhile, his cousin Opal McNeil moved in with the Williams family in Georgiana to attend the high school there. In Fountain, ten-year-old Williams became close friends with his cousin J.C. McNeil, who was 6 years olde
A nice morning, somewhat back to what we had become accustomed to! Great to see Fergie - CM3 Shane - Lars ‘n someone called James . . .
Also noted that Ron had a "wide page" Post - send me an Email 'n I'll explain what to do to avoid that problem. Makes for very difficult reading . . . BUT, thanx for stopping by!
Now it's time for the 2nd installment in my new "series" - Back in the Day!
Now Arriving on Track #1
Back in the Day - Number Two
The Singing Brakeman - Jimmie Rodgers
Back in the day, songs of the railroads were commonplace while tuning in the radio. One troubadour in particular was a fellow named Jimmie Rodgers (1897 - 1933). He was known and referred to as "The Father of Country Music." His dad was a Maintenance of Way Foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which undoubtedly inspired his love for trains.
"His is the music of America. He sang the songs of the people he loved, of a young nation growing strong. His was an America of glistening rails, thundering boxcars, and rain-swept night, of lonesome prairies, great mountains and a high blue sky. He sang of the bayous and the cornfields, the wheated plains, of the little towns, the cities, and of the winding rivers of America." -- inscribed on Jimmie Rodgers' statue in Meridian, Mississippi.
Two of Jimmie's classic tunes are:
WAITING FOR A TRAIN
Jimmie Rodgers (words & music)
All around the water tanks, waitin' for a train,
A thousand miles away from home, sleeping in the rain,
I walked up to a brakeman, to give him a line of talk,
He says if you've got money, I'll see that you don't walk.
I haven't got a nickel, not a penny can I show,
Get off, get off, you railroad bum, he slammed the boxcar door.
<yodel>
He put me off in Texas, a state I surely love,
Wide open spaces 'round me, the moon and stars above.
Nobody seems to want me, or lend me a helping hand,
I'm on my way from 'Frisco, goin' back to Dixieland;
Though my pocketbook is empty, and my heart is full of pain,
I'm a thousand miles away from home, just waiting for a train.
- AND -
TRAIN WHISTLE BLUES
When a woman gets the blues she hangs her little head and criesWhen a woman gets the blues she hangs her little head and criesBut when a man gets the blues he grabs a train and rides
Every time I see that lonesome railroad trainEvery time I see that lonesome railroad trainIt makes me wish I was going home again
Looky yonder coming coming down that railroad trackLooky yonder coming coming down that railroad trackWith the black smoke rolling rolling from that old smoke stack
I got the blues so bad till the whole round world looks blueI got the blues so bad till the whole round world looks blueI ain't got a dime I don't know what to do
I'm weary now I want to leave this townI'm weary now and I want to leave this townI can't find a job I'm tired of hanging around
Want to hear these tunes Drop a quarter in Herr Wurlitzer, press E14 ‘n E15. Oh
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