G'day Gents!
Appreciate seeing Lars our Manager 'n James our Duluth Connection "in" today . . . Some interesting material in both Posts and hope the guys check 'em out!
Continuing on with Pix from Day Four: Sunday - May 27th, 2007 - ExpoRail Canadian Railway Museum at Delson/Saint-Constant, Quebec, Canada
Inside Building #1
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR #4744) M-640 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1971)
Canadian National Railway (CNR #55361) Rotary snow plow - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1928)
Stealthy Pete in the Coffee Shop
Sydney & Louisbourg (S&L #4) Combine - Built by Rhodes, Curry (1894)
Canadian National Railway (CNR #6765) FPA-4 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1955)
Canadian National Railway (CNR #63) "CANADA" business car - Built by Wagner (1897).
This car was built for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) and was RR President Charles M. Hay's business car until his death aboard the Titantic in 1912.
Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR #2850) Royal Hudson - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1938).
This loco powered the Royal Train of 1939 has been declared a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada.
Montreal Transportation Commission (MTC #350) streetcar - Built by Brownell (1892)
Too bad trolleyMAN Rob is no longer with us - he surely could describe these!
To be continued . . .
Tom
G-day Tom and all present!
Ruth- Nice to see you today. Could I get an OJ and a turkey sandwich. Thanks
Well, gone a couple of days and then back. But I see I am just in time for the fun. Canada day is here!!! And I see some good stuff out there. Time to go through it!
Eric- If it's not family then it's books and, if in the world there isn't a book on it (ya right!) then the internet. But the information can be endless, making the fun endless.
When you start waving at the simulated person, then you know it's getting to ya. The train bug has bitten!!! The simulators they have today have become very real. But realism comes at a price. Some of these simulators are very expensive, almost a Million dollars. The simulator here at the museum was $300,000 brand new, and that was almost 20 years ago. But it does pretty good for itself. But if you can find a pic of that simulator, that would be great.
I see some good shots of Tom's Can-Am layout. It's always good to see some layout photos, and some nice ones too. I really like that station with all of the snow on it. It really looks real. Thanks for all of the great photos.
DL- It's been a while since I talked to you. Some good info on the Hayling Island station and the line. A neat looking station in deed. I'm glad they kept the station. Unfortunately the U.S.A is not as forgiving when it comes to keeping train stations. When they rip down old stations like that it takes away from the area. When Duluth took down the Soo Line Depot, I thought they had made the biggest mistake. The Depot we have now is impressive, but couldn't even come close to how impressive the Soo Depot was. The interior was all marble!! And they ripped down one of the neatest depots around. Big Mistake!!!! So I'm glad they keep there's still alive for people to see. Neat stuff. Thanks.
Tom- Glad you liked the Stock Wood fill article. When I drive along the line there are areas where you can still see the old bridge. The rock tunnels have long been gone but there are still large rocks laying around the area where the tunnels were. The bridges that cross over the roads are still wooden and are holding strong to this day.... But I have a feeling they will be replacing them soon since some bridges have been replaced along the line. But I copied down the address to the site and will be showing it periodically. Its such a good article I don't want it to disappear.
Well it sounds like they will have a bigger and even better museum at the Exporail in Canada. Glad they have a trolley going. They might even expand to have a train running. That would be neat. Also thanks for remembering about the St. Louis railway museum question. My goodness, I even forgot about that question..... How did you ever remember it???? But thanks for answering. See, knew I could trust you guys!!
Ah and some railroad "stuff" that I have not seen before or heard about. The New Zealand railways are quite nice looking. Well, I have seen some pictures and the trains are really roaring along.. Thanks for the history on the railroad. I was quite surprised to learn that there are over 2000 bridges!!!! That is a lot of bridges to inspect. Some cool stuff! I have a question, when the article said that the NZRL was sold to these companies, why was the Wisconsin Central mentioned Did they purchase a portion of the railroad It just seems a little odd. What is the relationship Thanks for sharing!
And some more great pics from the Exporail museum in Canada. They just have the neatest stuff from MLWs to little GE 70 toners. What don't they have? Thanks for the pics!
Thanks for the Canadian railways of the past. Some I have not heard of. Of course there are many railways I have not heard of here in the U.S. Are most of the railways that you mentioned, shortlines? There are some that are Predecessor roads but where they also Shortlines or were they larger railroads? Some of the lines did not last very long. Some great information and a lot to learn off it. Thanks!
Some good stuff on the British Columbia railway. A lot of information and goes perfect with Canada day. And some good stuff on the Pacific Eastern Railway. All very good. I am was a bit sad to see those BC rail units being dismantled. They were a neat looking locomotive with the look of the Cowl unit. I did see some BC rail units come through Duluth, Superior and "YES," I did get pics of them! I will get the pictures on soon.
Pete- Glad you liked the article on the Stock Wood fill. As said before, I have saved so I can post again here later in the year, just for fun. Some these things are just worth saving.
Your explanation on how to couple up those links was a bit interesting. If you had a bad engineer, it would be a "fun" time trying to hook those up.
Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth my deAH you are as radiant as the morning sun! <blush> A mugga Joe with a jolt, some pastries and that will do for now. Ah yes, Boris feed the crittAHs their due - tray of seeds for Awk, saucer of brine for Tex, bucket of ice cubes for Frostbite and the small jar of pickled pig's feet is YOURS!
A round for the house and the change is for you my deAH!
An interesting weekend in that we had far fewer Saturday visitors in the daylight than expected, then a couple of suprises in the evening. Was pleased that Sunday had a bit of a return to the "old dayz" with the slipping of the messages through the slot on the door. That used to be the "norm" for months ‘n months . . . wonder why we let that go?? Oh I KNOW - too busy! <grin>
Got a kick outta Mike's Url of Ruth and me . . . thought that photo had been long destroyed!!?? Reminded me of my Navy daze - never go outside without your "cover"!! Remember the ‘dixie cup,' Cap'n Tom??!! Youbetchaboots we both do! <grin>
Cast iron "gut" of the sailor, huh, Fergie???!!! The things consumed out of the ship's galley . . . Gotta keep ‘em content at dinner and in between!
Thought my Norwegian fish selections would get a "rise" outta Eric! <grin.
Check out these all-encompassing tastes from Sweden:
Ärtsoppa - Pea soup Blodpudding - Black pudding Falukorv - Sausage originating from Falun. The lifts and pumps at the Kopparberg copper mine in Falun were, before the introduction of steam engines, powered by oxen. When these oxen died from strain or old age, the skin was turned into leather ropes used in the mine, and the meat was turned into sausage - Falukorv. Gravad lax - Salmon, salted, and cured Isterband - Sausage made of coarsely ground pork, barley and potatoes Janssons frestelse - Grated potatoes, onion, anchovy and cream - the anchovy here is not the genuine anchovy but a quite different species and is also spiced. Julbord - Christmas smorgasbord Julskinka - Christmas ham Kaviar - Swedish caviar comes in tubes and is typically made from cod roe. Kåldolmar - Cabbage rolls Köttbullar - Swedish meatballs Köttsoppa - A rustic beef and root vegetable soup Kroppkakor - Boiled potato-dumplings, filled with pork Lutfisk - Stockfish Palt - Potato-dumplings with a filling of pork Inlagd sill - Pickled herring Pölsa - Hash Raggmunk - Potato pancakes Stekt fläsk och bruna bönor - Pork and brown beans siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Monday, July 2, 2007 8:17 AM Canada Day at "Our" Place!140th Birthday!<legal observance> Canadian Railways of the Past Number Three:British Columbia Railways (BCR) PART I of II<Initially Posted on Page 261 of the Original Thread> Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. BC Rail Locale British Columbia Reporting marks BCOL, BCIT (formerly PGE and PGER) Dates of operation 1912 - 2004 Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Original track gauge Headquarters North Vancouver, British Columbia BC Rail (AAR reporting marks BCOL and BCIT), known as the British Columbia Railway between 1972 and 1984 and as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE; AAR reporting marks PGE and PGER) before 1972, was a railway that operated in the Canadian province of British Columbia between 1912 and 2004. It was a class II regional railway and the third-largest in Canada, operating 2 320 km (1,441 miles) of mainline track. It was owned by the provincial government from 1918 until 2004, when it was sold to Canadian National Railway. Chartered in 1912, the railway was acquired by the provincial government in 1918 after running into financial difficulties. A railway that ran "from nowhere, to nowhere" for over 30 years, neither passing through any major city nor interchanging with any other railway, it expanded significantly between 1949 and 1984. Primarily a freight railway, it also offered passenger service, as well as some excursion services, most notably the Royal Hudson excursion train. The railway's operations were not always profitable, and its debts, at times, made it the centre of political controversy. History 1912-1948 Pacific Great Eastern Railway logo The Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) was incorporated on February 27, 1912, to build a line from Vancouver north to a connection with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP) at Prince George. Although independent from the GTP, the PGE had agreed that the GTP, whose western terminus was at the remote northern port of Prince Rupert, could use their line to gain access to Vancouver. The railway was given its name due to a loose association with England's Great Eastern Railway. Its financial backers were Timothy Foley, Patrick Welch and John Stewart, whose construction firm of Foley, Welch and Stewart was among the leading railway contractors in North America. Upon incorporation, the PGE took over the Howe Sound and Northern Railway, which at that point had built nine miles (15 km) of track north of Squamish. The British Columbia government gave the railway a guarantee of principal and 4% interest (later increased to 4.5% to make the bonds saleable) on the construction bonds of the railway. By 1915, the line was opened from Squamish 176 miles (283 km) north to Chasm. The railway was starting to run out of money, however. In 1915 it failed to make an interest payment on its bonds, obliging the provincial government to make good on its bond guarantee. In the 1916 provincial election campaign, the Liberal Party alleged that some of the money advanced to the railway for bond guarantee payments had instead gone into Conservative Party campaign funds. In the election, the Conservatives, who had won every seat in the legislature in 1912 election, lost to the Liberals. The Liberals then took Foley, Welch, and Stewart to court to recover $5 million of allegedly unaccounted funds. In early 1918, the railway's backers agreed to pay the government $1.1 million and turn the railway over to the government. When the government took over the railway, two separate sections of trackage had been completed: A small section between North Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay, and one between Squamish and Clinton. By 1921, the provincial government had extended the railway to a point 15 miles (24 km) north of Quesnel, still 20 miles (32 km) south of a connection to Prince George, but it was not extended further. The track north of Quesnel was later removed. Construction of the line between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish was given a low priority because there was already a barge in operation between Squamish and Vancouver, and the railway wanted to discontinue operations on the North Vancouver-Horseshoe Bay line. However, the railway had an agreement with the municipality of West Vancouver to provide passenger service that it was unable to get out of until 1928, when they paid the city $140,000 in support of its road-building programme. The last trains on the line ran on November 29, 1928, and the line fell into disuse, but was never formally abandoned. For the next 20 years the railway would run from "nowhere to nowhere". It did not connect with any other railway, and there were no large urban centres on its route. It existed mainly to connect logging and mining operations in the British Columbia interior with the coastal town of Squamish, where resources could then be transported by sea. The government still intended for the railway to reach Prince George, but the resources to do so were not available, especially during the Great Depression and World War II. The unfortunate state of the railway caused it to be given nicknames such as "Province's Great Expense", "Prince George Eventually", "Past God's Endurance", and "Please Go Easy". 1949 t Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Monday, July 2, 2007 6:43 AM <w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/> A smile to begin the week! Shut up and talk.<A Yogi-ism!> Canada Day at "Our" Place!140th Birthday!<legal observance> G'day Gents! The first Monday of a new month and the countdown to the END of summer begins for me - and it can't come too fast! <ugh> While I'm moaning ‘n groaning, I must say that we've been "blessed" by unseasonably cool ‘n comfortable temperatures for the past several days. All supposed to end by the 4th, but "we takes what we gets!" eh Galley crew says the breakfast <light> ‘n <traditional> selections are ready - coffee's fresh ‘n hot - pastries are awaiting you in the Mentor Village Bakery case. Let's get with it! Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative): Lars at 11:08 AM Saturday - June 30th: Youse guyz are taking a whooping at the gas pump - just noticed our prices are at $2.86 (rounded) - that's quite a difference AND you've got all of those New Joisey refineries. Gotta figure that one out, eh Thanx for keeping the daylight portion of our ENCORE! Saturday ‘n Photo Posting Day alive ‘n well. Nice to know the guys have things to do ‘n places to go - but for those who cudda stopped by and didn't, well it's surely their loss, eh While a trip back to ExpoRail would be a treat - I'm not excited about the prospects of flying to New YAWK, fighting the way to Penn Station, taking Amtrak northward for an ALWAYS late arrival in Montreal then having to repeat it all for the return trek. Sorry, Lars, but that's not my idea of fun. Would be far better to simply fly to Montreal and "get ‘er done!" Just my two cents worth! I like your idea of "help" on the 4th from the "internationalists" amongst us. Perhaps they will come through . . . if not, we'll muddle through, eh Interesting menu from Norway. I remember some of those "names" from my childhood friends in the neighborhood I grew up in. "Fiske" this ‘n that was something I recall. Not so sure Eric would've enjoyed THAT! <grin> I'll have to admit to not being a huge fan of fish-dishes either - I'm more along the lines of shrimp, lobster, scallops and halibut. Used to love ‘n devour steamed clams ‘n oysters - but that was way back when the oceans weren't such frightening places for pollution and the like. No more -semi-raw anything from the sea for me. <yikes>I do concur with your thinking on language, but will let it remain there . . .Nope, the RDCs were shut tight as was the VIA Rail Park Car (obs dome) so there was no opportunity to board ‘em.All of my "visits" to Cuba were in connection with "Gitmo" - did make it to Havana in 1958 though as a "poor" sailor boy . . . quite the place, but way too expensive for the likes of Moi in those times. I think there were some other "short comings" too . . . <grin>You are on the mark with the comments on the RDCs and the "vintage" automobiles still running down there. Gotta give credit where credit is due and the guys who have found ways to keep ‘em running are to be commended - BIG TIME. I believe Cuba had quite a successful passenger rail system . . . don't know now.Cuba purchased 11 RDC-1s and 5 RDC-2s in 1951 for operation on their Cuba Railroad, Guantanamo & Western Raiload and Cuba Northern Railways. Then in 1956-57, 4 RDC-1s and 6 RDC-3s went into service on their Western Railways <Occidentales>. All rail systems were nationalized in 1960. <source: RDC The Budd Rail Diesel Car>In 1998, five RDCs from VIA Rail were sold to Cuba: 3 RDC-1s, 1 RDC-2 & 1 RDC-3. <sources: numerous>"Cute" comment on the Kiwi's and the America's Cup race . . . saw it in our local paper <aka: bird cage liner> too. <grin>Appreciate the effort you've put into your visits and of course, giving me a break at watching things at the bar! Eric at 8:40 PM Saturday - June 30th: Loved the foto-spread ‘story' - well done, Mate! 5 Salute to our Resident Desert Swede! If I recall, the CP ‘n CN diesels wound up that way due to a switching error on MY part! <grimace> <grin> The foto came out quite well and shows quite a bit of detail . . . thanx! Found it a bit unusual that YOU would travel to a place where there is SNOW! I mean that speaks loud ‘n clear about your "roots" and TRUE inner desire to be A-deep in the white stuff! <grin>The shot of Erios is a "keeper" and I've added it to my collection. Of course it's on the disk set you sent, but I'm glad you provided it here. For s Happy Railroading! Siberianmo wanswheel Member sinceNovember 2005 4,190 posts Posted by wanswheel on Sunday, July 1, 2007 5:47 PM Hi Tom and everyone, Happy Canada DayOne-quarter Canadian makes me a loony. Grandfather from Prince Edward Island. CV engineer at St. Albans, 20 minutes from Canada as his train flew. Drove up there to PEI in 1994, very beautiful island. Crossed the border into New Brunswick and sign said speed limit 100 mph. Or maybe it was 100 miles per hour-and-a-half. I did slow down when all those headlights came at me in broad daylight. Figured they were warning me of a Mountie on a very fast horse. Way home was though Pictou, Halifax and Yarmouth, then 11-hour boat ride to Portland. Longest ever at sea. Saw dolphins.Now here's a classic train http://www.cvrma.org/pictures/MISC/dfrr4013_canadian_pacific_spiral_tunnel_(one_train).jpghttp://www.cvrma.org/pictures/MISC/dfrr4027_canadian_pacific_trans_canada_ltd_field_bc.jpgOff topic pix for DLThe giant excavating machine of Egypt Valley in Ohio http://pro.corbis.com/images/RT001083.jpg?size=67&uid={858d5d79-a61f-44d4-b455-c0557e71a78f}http://www.geocities.com/silverspade66/gem26.jpgBig Muskiehttp://static.flickr.com/122/301323670_725ffb1fc3_o.jpghttp://www.vincelewis.net/diggers.html Brutus at ease in Kansas http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/59062053_4ce0a38fde_o.jpgLars was up for shirtless darts until Ruth asked how to get to Carnegie Hallhttp://pro.corbis.com/images/MI-064-0255.jpg?size=67&uid={9099c23f-db6a-486f-ad94-d6f9c9aefd8c}Mike LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts Posted by LoveDomes on Sunday, July 1, 2007 9:33 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom 'n fellow travelers waiting for the bar to open!A most HAPPY CANADA DAY to my "bookend" BK (Bud Karr 'n Lydia in Alberta) - Rob (trolleyMAN 'n his Mrs. in Brantford, Ontario) - and Fergie (Fergmiester from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia - who is current at sea). A 5- Salute to our friends north of the 49th! And of course to Cap'n Tom's Mrs. (from Ontario and points east 'n west!) Here's a few "keep sakes" for those who appreciate 'things RR' !! - AND - CPR Selkirk locomotive No. 5915 CP - 4-4-0 #136 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com - photo: Paul Eilenberger collection) CN #6071 4-8-2 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com) CN #6307 4-8-4 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com) and there are so MANY, MANY MORE!! Until the next time! Lars siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Sunday, July 1, 2007 8:25 AM Canada Day at "Our" Place!140th Birthday! We're celebrating the annual event - but on Monday! So be sure to swing on by when the bar opens at 6 AM (all time zones - don't ask how we do THAT!!) Enjoy the holiday and weekend . . . Tom Happy Railroading! Siberianmo Fergmiester Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Out on the Briny Ocean Tossed 4,240 posts Posted by Fergmiester on Sunday, July 1, 2007 8:00 AM Good Morning Captain Tom and Company!I bring you greeting from the not so sunny offshore waters of Canada this Canada Day!Yes the Ship's BBQ will be red hot this afternoon!However to tie me over to that event I think a feed of Muscles is in order. served in a Black Bean and Marinara sauce with a side dish of Garlic Butter, please and thanks. Anyway I must run as I have Captain's Rounds in one minute! Later All Fergie I'll be back for the Muscles!! 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 nickinwestwales Member sinceApril 2005 901 posts Posted by nickinwestwales on Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:15 PM Eric-wonderful Can-Am pix-glad someone was on the case thereO.K fella`s-I`m outa here its getting ugly outside-a pleasant w/end to one and all,take care,be lucky,Nick nickinwestwales Member sinceApril 2005 901 posts Posted by nickinwestwales on Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:11 PM And here is another:-[img] [img/] nickinwestwales Member sinceApril 2005 901 posts Posted by nickinwestwales on Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:06 PM Gentlemen,bar staff,dart players and other neer`do`wells`s-again a brief missive-the weather is closing in again and I dont want the `puter to get fried by lightning.....Leon (or is that Cindy-my dear girl,please lay off the steroids....... ) more of that evil fermented apple juice for all--starting to catch up on the weeks submissions-wild for those museum shots from our gracious host-the A4 and terrier are superlative-the FP9a in VIA colours is a dream come true,the RS10 from the Northland could only be improved by a return to its original colours...........LARS-those C.P `f` unit pix are a treat.Brief note on `Terriers` (Waddon et al)-I know of at least 3 still in regular service-`Stepney` on the Bluebell line,2 on the Isle of Wight line and possibly another 2 on the Kent & East Sussex lineWill keep the bulk of holiday pix for the 4th but here is a taster.... " border="0" /> EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Saturday, June 30, 2007 8:40 PM Good eveing Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Cindy! Nice to see you again! Surprise me with a good drink before my meal! I am going to have that juicyFIlet Mignon tonight with mushrooms! Kind of quiet Saturday hera at the Bar today! I think I will add some mixed pictures. Tom – 116° on the 4th might not be correct. The latest forecast is 117° F. Our air conditioner is working pretty well so that should not be a problem. Last year we installed an air conditioner for the dog house and the dog (Taylor) is really appreciating it. You are correct about the snow on Mt Mentor. There is some snow there! I made a quick trip up there and some pictures from the trip are shown below. Interesting history to read, the Northern Alberta Railways! I think I have seen that name, J. D. McArthur, in earlier posts about Canadian railways!? NAR also tried RDCs but with no success. I wonder what went wrong? Two for me unknown movies at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre next week! I don’t even remember the Stooges’ An Ache In Every Stake! It will be an interesting week at the Theatre!Lars – Wow, you are really paying for your gas! $3.49 for regular gas? In Phoenix it is down to $2.79 today. Scandinavian 4th of July? Never thought of that. Norwegian menu in Norwegian and all! I think I’ll stick to the burgers though. I have been to Norway many times, both in business and on vacation and it is a beautiful country! Lots of mountains and fjords. Don’t tell the Captain, but one of the pictures below is actually from Norway (from 1974). Guess which one. Nice pictures from Canada with snow and everything! First a few pictures from my very recent trip to Mt. Mentor to check the snow depth. I took the train and shortly before getting up there to Can-Am land I found the ground being partly snow covered. At the Mentor station some people were waiting for the train to arrive. I rented a car and drove up towards Mt. Mentor and in this picture you can see that there are some snow on the side of the mountain. I made it, climbing through the snow, halfway to the top before giving up. Too much snow and way too cold for me. Since there was snow in the Mentor Village I drove on to the next station to catch the train going back. While I waited for the train I was observing how CPR and CN worked together switching cars. Tonight, when I got to the bar I saw this Dining Car sitting outside on the siding! Makes me wonder if our Manager Lars is planning to remodel "Our Place" and let us use that dining car meanwhile? It made me think about the last eveing of the 2nd Annual Rendezvous when we had a farewell dinner at this place, Erio's! A very nice place indeed! Have a nice weekend!!Eric siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Saturday, June 30, 2007 4:36 PM ENCORE! Saturday ‘n Photo Posting Day!at "Our" Place!We are CLOSED on SUNDAYs!Starting Sunday at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre! . . . July 1st thru 7th: The Cider House Rules (1999) Starring: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd & Michael Caine - and - Cold Mountain (2003) Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins & Brendan Gleeson. SHORT: The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake (1941). The Cider House Rules (1999)PLOT SUMMARY: Central to the story (set during World War II) is Homer (Tobey Maguire), a young man raised in a Maine orphanage, where the ether-sniffing Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) rules with benevolent grace while performing safe but illegal abortions. To expand his horizons, Homer follows a young couple (Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd) to do fieldwork on an apple farm, where his innocent eyes are opened to the good and evil of the world--and to the realization that not all rules are steadfast in all situations. By the time Homer returns to the orphanage, The Cider House Rules--which features one of Caine's finest performances--is memorable more for its many charming and insightful moments than for any lasting dramatic impact. Is Homer fated to come full circle in his kindhearted journey? It's left to the viewer to decide. --Jeff Shannon from: amazon.com Cold Mountain (2003) http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/siberianmo/Movies/51DXPG9GM8L.jpg PLOT SUMMARY: A heroic attempt to capture, in all its tangled bitterness, the backwash of war-the lawless, scrappy life that takes shape behind the lines in an atmosphere of uneasy freedom. Inman (Jude Law), a young Confederate soldier, badly wounded and spiritually depleted, deserts his company and tries to make his way back to his home town in North Carolina and to a young woman, Ada (Nicole Kidman), he knew briefly and fell in love with. Along the way, he has a series of grotesque, terrifying adventures. Ada, meanwhile, aided by an arrogant interloper (Renée Zellweger) with a strong back, learns to run the farm that her late father left to her. The coming together of the two lovers has a satisfying kind of inevitability, like the halves of a drawbridge falling into place. Anthony Minghella adapted Charles Frazier's acclaimed 1997 novel, and directed in a style both high flown (the lovers' letters soar over the tormented landscapes like a blessing) and filthy with the mire and blood of war. The extraordinary cast includes Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Giovanni Ribisi. -David Denby Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker from: amazon.com SHORT: The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake(1941)PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly The Stooges portray incredibly klutzy ice men who accidentally cause Mr. Lawrence (Vernon Dent) to smash not one but two birthday cakes. When they drive Mrs. Lawrence's cook and maid to quit, the Stooges volunteer to prepare the dinner, not knowing who her husband is!from: threestooges.net Enjoy! Tom Happy Railroading! Siberianmo LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by LoveDomes on Saturday, June 30, 2007 11:08 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!Cindy my lady, it's a treat to see you behind the bar on this Saturday! I'm sure it makes Cap'n Tom smile brightly as well! A mugga Joe with a jolt for me along with some pastries from the case should do it. Ah yes, treats for my friends - Boris, feed the crittAHs their "due" and you'll get your small jar of pickled pig's feet! A round on me and the change is YOURS! Weather ‘round these parts is partly cloudy, high 70's "F" and appears that the rains have left us. We're supposed to have a nice conditions until Wednesday when the chance of thunderboomers crops up. Figured something would screw up the traditional <bang> <boom> <ahhhhh> of the 4th of July! Mets are doin' just fine, thank you very much! LET'S KEEP GOING, METS! Gasoline prices were at $3.49 at our "favorite" Gulf station. Times like these make me very, very happy to know that we really aren't in need of our car that much . . . When I tell my "kids" about the "gas wars" of old in New Jersey, they think I'm nuts . . . 30 cents (and lower) for a gallon of gas! Hey Cap'n! That is a great travel aide for anyone thinking about Amtrak. Nicely done and I copied it for my "files." Man oh man those OTP's are terrible, especially for the long distance runs. I've been spending quite a bit of time checking this 'n that . . . again, many thanks! 5- Salute to our Cap'n for ALWAYS coming up with interesting aspects to what we like to talk about! In reply to a request for pix from me, sorry guys, I don't "do" ‘em . . . I'm really not a picture taking kindaguy and those I took are stored away in boxes - probably faded at that. All of our California Zephyr trips were "captured" on black ‘n white back when my father took us and only the Good Lord knows where those wound up. The Mrs. and I hardly took any at all during our trips, as she was "in charge" of that department and most times forgot! <grin> So that's just the way it is and has been. Our pictures are in memory - as in grey matter! I see the Man from Wales has returned to the bar. Now that's more like it - take a few days leave and come back. Far better ‘n being a "regular" then disappearing for months on end. <geesh> as the Cap'n would say! Let's see, if we can get at least one post from Nick, DL, Allan ‘n Fergie on the 4th of July, we'll be in great shape. Are youse guyz "up" for it??? Surely would be nice! We're going to have our "traditional" Scandinavian" 4th of July Celebration, which essentially means we'll speak English - enjoy hot dogs ‘n hamburgers and swear off things like:Bergens fiskesuppe (Bergen fish soup) Fiskesalat med pepperrotsaus (fish salad w/horseradish sauceStekt marinert makrell (grilled marinated mackerel)Fiskepudding eller fiskefarse (fish pudding or fish balls) Sorry Eric, I KNOW how much you enjoy FISH! <grin> Got some "boomers" set to "go" too - ‘round here it's very controlled in that the neighbors all get into the act and the police are fine with it. Every now ‘n then someone oversteps the boundaries and they have to act.Enjoyed the Encore! of the Northern Alberta Railways (NAR) and think it was very appropriate on the day B4 Canada Day! "Oh, Canada! Our home and . . . ." (only in English - perhaps Norwegian, but hardly could manage French!!) What is more binding to a nation that it's common language? Wonder what it is about that - THAT escapes our politicians?? <triple geesh> Imagine if all the signage for RR's had to be in "several" official languages?? What a complete riot that would be . . . Surely hope they don't forget we ‘squareheads' when the day comes . . . Good to see the Bar Chandler made it in but puzzled regarding this Saturday "off" business. Look, it's like THIS: You earn what you earn. So the "little" dipper is hanging right over there by your time card . . . <quadruple geesh>A trip up to Montreal to check out the Expo Rail RR museum COULD begin right here at Penn Station. Why not? We could take Amtrak "up" - spend the night in Montreal - then a couple of days over at the museum - take the train back and have a blast. I'm for that! Suggest we wait ‘til fall - but I'm not sure about when they shut the place down. Something to think about for anyone interested in such things. The RDCs look "cool" but surely in need of a sprucing up. Wonder if they run?? Did I tell you that somewhere "back when" I read that Canada sold off some former Via Rail RDC's to CUBA!!?? Yeah, happened I think a few years back. If I recollect, Cuba had ordered RDC's from Budd back in the 50's and they have kept ‘em running.I've been to Cuba several times with the USN - but not since the embargo as a Merchie siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:23 AM This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays. Canadian Railways of the Past Number Two: Northern Alberta Railways (NAR) <Initially Posted on Page 249 on the Original Thread> Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. Northern Alberta Railways Locale: Alberta, British Columbia Reporting marks: NAR Dates of operation: 1929 - 1981 Track gauge: 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta The Northern Alberta Railways (AAR reporting mark: NAR) was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981. Predecessor railways Railway construction in northern Alberta during the early 20th century was dominated by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both of which were building westward from Edmonton, AB to the Yellowhead Pass of the Rocky Mountains. Following the Dominion Land Survey grants to settlers, the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta was one of the few places left on the prairies with available agricultural land, however there was no railway connection. Several lines were chartered to serve both the Peace River and Waterways regions of the province, beginning with the Athabaska Railway in 1907. It was to build northeast from Edmonton to Dunvegan, AB, then to Fort George, BC. ED&BC The company was rechartered in 1911 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur as the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC). Construction of the ED&BC started in 1912 heading toward Westlock, AB, reaching High Prairie in 1914, and Spirit River in 1915. Deciding not to proceed to Dunvegan, a branch was built south from Rycroft, AB to Grande Prairie, AB in 1916 (400 miles northwest from Edmonton). In 1924 the line was extended to Wembley, AB and it reached Hythe, AB in 1928. In 1930 the line was extended westward across the provincial boundary to its western terminus at Dawson Creek, BC. A&GW In 1909 a charter was granted to the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (A&GW) to build from Edmonton to Waterways, AB on the Athabasca River. Construction faltered and the line was rechartered in 1913 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur. Construction of the AG&W began in 1914 from Carbondale, AB and reached Lac La Biche, AB in 1916. It reached Draper, AB in 1922 and its terminus at Waterways, AB in 1925. CCR In 1913 a charter was granted to the Central Canada Railway (CCR) under the ownership of J.D. McArthur to build from Winagami Junction, AB on the ED&BC to Peace River Crossing, AB in order to access barge traffic on the Peace River. Construction of the CCR began in 1914 and was completed in 1916. The CCR was subsequently extended to Berwyn, AB in 1921, then to Whitelaw, AB in 1924, Fairview, AB in 1928 and Hines Creek, AB in 1930. PVR In 1926, the provincial government passed a statute authorizing the government to construct the Pembina Valley Railway from Busby, AB, where it connected to the ED&BC line, to Barrhead, AB. Provincial ownership In 1920, the lines owned by J.D. McArthur entered financial difficulties following the First World War. Coinciding with the problems faced by the McArthur lines (ED&BC, A&GW, and CCR), both the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) had fallen victim to similar circumstances brought about by the financial strain of the conflict and falling traffic levels. The Dominion government had nationalized the GTPR and CNoR, along with other previously federally owned lines into the Canadian National Railways. Following the federal example, and in an attempt to preserve rail service to northern and northwestern Alberta, the provincial government leased the ED&BC and CCR in 1920 for five years. In 1921 the government entered into a five year agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to operate the ED&BC and CCR. That same year, the provincial government purchased the A&GW outright and chose to operate it separately. CPR immediately raised freight rates on the ED&BC and CCR lines, charging "mountain prices", claiming that the cost of operating on grades into the Peace and Smoky River valleys of the northwestern prairie was as much as it cost to operate in the Rocky Mountains. Consequently Peace River farmers paid the highest freight charges on the Canadian prairies to reach the lakehead at Port Arthur and Fort William. The provincial government purchased the ED&BC and CCR from McArthur in 1925, following the expiration of the five year lease. dissatisfied with the CPR's operation of the ED&BC and CCR, the provincial government allowed the operating contract for the these railways to expire in 1926, with operations subsequently taken over by the new provincial Department of Railways and Telecommunications which was also tasked to operate the AG&W and the newly-built PVR. In 1928, the provincial government began to solicit proposals from both the CPR and the Canadian National Railways (CNR) for purchasing the provincial railways. In 1924, CNR president Sir Henry Thornton visited the ED&BC line and in 1928, CPR president Edward Beattie did the same. Northern Alberta Railways In 1929 the provincial government grouped the ED&BC, CCR, AG&W, and PVR under the collective name Northern Alberta Railways (NAR), which received a federal charter on June 14. The NAR was subsequently sold to both the CNR and CPR in equal portions with both companies agreeing to maintain the NAR as a joint subsidiary. At that time, the NAR was the third-largest railway in Canada. In 1937 the NAR began to show a profit for the first time. In summer 1942, following the entry of the United States into the Second World War, the Alaska Highway civil defence project resulted in tremendous growth for the NAR, as the system was the only railway to service Alaska Highway mi Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Saturday, June 30, 2007 7:16 AM <w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/> This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays. G'day Gents! It's Saturday and the final day of the month of June - we're halfway to 2008! So, what'll it be Try a <light> or <traditional> breakfast, or if you're interested is something "lighter" our pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery are fresh ‘n ready for eatin'!! Wash it all down with our famous Can-Am blend of coffee! As previously mentioned, Sunday is the Oh-Fish-Ul Canada Day holiday for our friends north of the 49th and the ex-pats residing elsewhere. "Our" Place will fly the Maple Leaf on Sunday and Monday <legal observance> in honor of the event! We WILL be OPEN on Wednesday, July 4th Independence Day ‘n our traditional celebration tent will be "up" for entertainment, food ‘n drink in late afternoon. Fireworks begin at "dark" - watch for Boris ‘n Leon in their "Uncle Sam" suits! Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative): Pete at 5:24 PM ‘n 7:28 PM Friday - June 29th: Two visits from our Bar Chandler and the good news is that the inclusive, informative ‘n interesting chat continues - the bad news is that the Wolfman will be away <again> on Saturday! <geesh> That's THREE in a row, Mate - you're back to the "small dipper." <double geesh>Perhaps one day we'll be able to repeat some of that Canada trip of ours - and maybe even have our Resident Desert Swede - Eric - accompany us. ExpoRail IS quite the place! Pix look fine - and don't worry about the "captions" as they've been (or will be) in mine. Figured you'd use those links regarding the Amtrak on-time-performance <or lack thereof> . . . makes one think thrice about "booking" a trip. Truly a shame . . .Geography 101 for the Wolfman: You will be in SouthWEST Missouri over the 4th of July!! <triple geesh> Rounds appreciated! Nick at 8:38 PM Friday - June 29th: As promised, our Wales Connection returned at week's end. Glad you made it back and hope the holiday was everything ‘n more to all involved! As you have indicated, there's been quite a lot of interesting "stuff" here at the bar and it surely will require one to put aside an hour or so just to absorb the most meaningful of it all. The Pix are worth the price of admission! <grin>Am in hopes that YOU will be able to provide a Post for us on the 4th of July - as one of our "internationalists" at the bar, it surely would be appreciated by the Yanks amongst us! Methinks 35mm is still far ‘n away "more better" than digital. Albeit there are those who have perfected the use of the latter <Doug ‘n Eric> whereas I muddle along with my "hit ‘n miss" technique . . . Take a bunch, every time - all the time - and some are bound to turn out acceptable! <grin> Kinda like meeting women, ask around enough, and surely ONE will accept! <double grin>Perhaps you can drop a few notes through the mail slots on Sunday if today is "out" for ya . . .Thanx for the round! Eric at 3:14 AM today - June 30th: Now THAT's a late Post <or EARLY> from our Nocturnal Resident Desert Swede. Covered the bases, as always, and enjoyed the chat, fer sure, fer sure.The average temps atop Mt. Mentor are ALWAYS below freezing - that snow can't do anything but accumulate. Ahhhh, love the white stuff! <grin>ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEEN degrees on the 4th?!?!?! Are you SERIOUS?!?!?! <Good Gawd Gertie!> Hope your air conditioner is in good shape - there's NO WAY you'd catch me in climate like that . . . <ugh>As we've learned over the use of it, Wikipedia is to be scrutinized before one "takes to the bank" any of the "facts" contained therein . . . It is a great source for the general "stuff" however . . . Pix too! Pete ‘n I didn't have time to scout out the area where ExpoRail is located, so I'm without knowledge of places to stay and things to do. However, Montreal is only a 30 minute drive and there's PLENTY to take in there. Three days at ExpoRail and they might as well put us on the pay roll, eh <grin>Yeah, no spitting on the streetcar - what's the world coming to, eh Nice foto - where ‘n when?? Reminder: Ruth has the bar from 9 AM until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing. Thursday is Fish ‘ Chips Nite!Friday is Pizza ‘n Beer Nite! - and - Steak ‘n Fries Nite!Saturday is Steak ‘n All The Trimmings Nite!Dinner begins at Happy Railroading! Siberianmo EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:14 AM Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Leon, I know it is early morning and almost time for breakfast, but I just want a cup of coffee before I'll hit the sack! DL – Thanks for the explanation about the missing side doors on buses! You are right, it certainly slows down the journey, forcing passengers in the rear of the bus to walk all the way up front to get off. Switching cars (with a loco) is a job where you have to be alert all the time, both the guys on the ground and also the engineer. Tom – Nice to see that the bar will be open on Wednesday with the tent set up! I think I’ll spend the day there instead of here, we have been promised a hot 4th of July, at Least 116° F. I never noticed it was that much snow on Mt. Mentor! Even in the summertime. Well, it was spring when I saw it and I expected more of it to melt away! That VIA Rail Park car is at least covered and protected from getting worse. That is important! I certainly would like to visit that museum one day (sorry, 2-3 days). After seeing your pictures posted today, sorry, yesterday, I am even more convinced that it could be worth a visit! Nice pictures! Your camera focused well that day!Very interesting info on NZ and its railways! They have a system very similar to Sweden. The state owns almost all main-line infrastrucutre and provides access to the rail network to rail operators for a fee. I checked CIA’s site for info on the NZ railways and they claim that the route length is 4,128 km (2,565 miles), a little bit more than the Wikipedia info. The track is 1.067 m gauge (3 ft 6”). The CSX rail line east of New Orleans is repaired but Amtrak has not restored the train service between New Orleans and Miami for unknown reason(s). Amtrak is actually breaking the law by not running Sunset Limited all the way to Florida. NARP and Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission are trying to change Amtrak’s decision not to restore the trains service. Instead Amtrak is saying they are studying alternative routes. Lars – Thanks for the round! I hope you (and Ruth) managed to catch up on the admin work. Where is she?Pete – Waddon may need some major work to be brought back to operational condition. Like new tubes in the boiler. But maybe it is operational? Do you know for sure it isn’t? I will certainly enjoy my 5 days off!!! Thank you!!If your bride didn’t want to taste your Marmite sandwich it must be something bad! I am not sure if I want to know what it is? Something smelly? Thanks for the pictures! No spitting in the streetcar? The steamer seems to be a British wood burner. Or am I wrong?Dave – Get some rest and have a nice weekend! Hope to see you (and pictures) again soon!! Eric nickinwestwales Member sinceApril 2005 901 posts Posted by nickinwestwales on Friday, June 29, 2007 8:38 PM Gentlemen all,just a quick line to `touch base` as they say -Leon-huge mugs of finest Devonian scrumpy for the crew,returned safely -weather foul beyond belief,good haul of pix of immaculate G.W.R `heritage` steam plus a sampling of contempory working on the main line with a few grace notes of 15" garden rail--have got them loaded onto p/bucket and will transfer to the company as soon as I have my breath back.Have had a quick scan through the last weeks submissions and can attest to a uniformly impressive quality of material.........Will get down to individual cases after a good nights sleep or two ( got a show to do tomorrow so not much chance there )Somewhat of a Luddite when it comes to modern technology but the quality of the digital pix here lately could convince the most sceptical---fine work one and all !!!!!!!Speak soon my dears,Nick pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Friday, June 29, 2007 7:28 PM Another beer please LEON. TOM I have been looking at the post you posted just before mine. We though of getting the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to LA on our California trip but decided against it.Those links to Amtrak are indeed worth keeping. I have been looking at the trains between Kansas City and Kirkwood/St Louis for the last week and they make very sad reading An example, eastbound train 316 AVERAGED 132 minutes late and train 314 an average 135 mintues late in to Kirkwood.Even the westbound train we caught, as averaged over an hour late with one being 200 minutes late. As we have said before though, how much of this is down to UP would be interesting to know.It must be hard for the train crew having to placate passengers who are over 3 hours late. It must be very sad for those who can remember the Classic years of train travel I think I will have to have another Batham's please LEON Pete. pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Friday, June 29, 2007 5:24 PM HI Tom and all.A pint of Holden's Mild and a round please RUTH.Great to see you in the bar DOUG. Yes Tom as managed to get some good photos at the museum, it was hard to get decent photos in the shed #5.I will get in training for the rendezvous. It sounds that we shall be so busy we will not have time for a Coors Light.JAMES Thanks for the very interesting link to the Stockwood Fill and way the civil engineers battled the unsound ground conditions.You are quite right shunting wagons in the old days was a very dangerous job. In the factory I worked out I worked in a test building and jobs were brought in by the works diesel shunter (switcher) which had a three link coupling, I have had got coupling and uncoupling the wagons, uncoupling is not too bad as you can use the buffer casing as a lever for the pole, but coupling up was hard as the coupling was quite heavy. The drivers were good though and would stop the switcher with the buffers just touching. The regular shunter would make it look so easy.ERIC I forgot to mention about the "Terriers" locomotives, of which Waddon is one, is that the rather unique sound of the exhaust of the engines, a coughing sort of sound. Waddon looks in immaculate condition having just been repainted; I wonder how much work it would take to get her running again. I would have though it would be a great loco to work in the museum site, with the lightweight and small wheelbase.It will be good to see a photo of the simulator.Thanks for the photo of C&NW # 1003;what are the cars it was hauling, do you know.Enjoy your 5 day breakDL Ah yes Marmite sandwiches, defiantly an acquired taste. I used to have them one day a week as a packed lunch at work, with crisps (chips) between the bread as well. I could not get the bride to taste it though.I have talked to Alan and he told me some areas had been hit very hard with the flooding in England. A main problem he said was that once it started raining over an area there was not any wind to move the rain awayI guess fare dodging is still a big problem on the trains as well. The amount of revenue the railways must have lost through removing the ticket barriers at stations must be horrendous.It has been a long time since I was in that excavator, but if memories served we three of us was able just behind the operator and the engine room was quite large and not too noisy. I wonder if the electrical equipment is still aboard the one at the Rutland Museum. I Hope the tarp does t keep the rain out if it is in there.Glad you liked the North Wales link. We spent many a summer vacation at Rhyl. It was a very busy station in steam days especially on Summer Saturdays, when most people traveled to the seaside by train. Rhyl station site was much larger then. With the south side of the station being platforms and sidings for storing the coaching stock. A guide to how extensive the railway was there can be gained by the size of the two very large signal boxes at both ends of the station, I don't know if they both are still there, but they were until fairly recently.I spent many a happy hour there watching the trains mainly from a small set of steps on a road bridge at the east of the station, although the station staff were very friendly and would let you on to the station, loco crews as well would, now and then, let you on to the footplate for a quick visit while the passengers were loaded. The locos were mainly ex LMS and BR Standard types with an occasional ex LNER B1 loco. I can recall an old ex Lancashire & Yorkshire 0-6-0 loco of 1889 vintage that used to be on station pilot duties. I see in the Steam magazine that the Rhyl Miniature Railway which runs round the boating lake, and is visible from the main line to the west of Rhyl station has opened a new station and museum.I can only guess that Doncaster paint shop was busy and I am sure Crewe works worked on steam locos longer than Doncaster.Many thanks for the link to the photos of the Hayling Island Branch. I see one is an atmospheric photo by Colin Gifford. It is sad to see the station devoid of track but they have done a good job with the goods shed turning it into a theatre. Have you been to the museum at Liphook, it is many years since I last visited there.Another great link to Geoffery Kingscott. What a great cover on the ‘Lost Railways of Leicestershire and Rutland book. I did use Trent Station once. I was going to Derby Works open day in 1965 and we traveled by the now closed Ru siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Friday, June 29, 2007 5:20 PM G'day Gents!Here's something some may wish to cut 'n keep!===============================================Amtrak trip planning help . . .Here's a URL http://www.amtrakdelays.com/index.phpthat should help those planning trips with Amtrak. This "unofficial" site will give you up to three week's of on-time-performance (or lack thereof!). You will need the three letter station code, found at:http://www.amtrak.com/html/stations_A.htmlAnd number of the train you are checking up on - which may be found at: http://pages.prodigy.net/kevinkorell/btn/numt2100.htmGood luck! ================================================ Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative this AM): DL at 6:06 AM today- June 29th: Don't know how it happened, but I missed your Post - not once, but TWICE! Anyway, great seeing ya and that was one super-fine Post you provided for the gang! Wolfman Pete lives to the west of where I am and the Rendezvous was held. He's pretty much in central Missouri, whereas I am on the eastern edge . . . Anything I could offer regarding Amtrak's Sunset Limited would only be anecdotal - but here's a link of current schedule info that pretty much leaving things "up in the air" . . .http://www.cwrr.com/Amtrak/w_sunset.htmlAmtrak is suffering from equipment ‘n budget problems, so who knows!?!? Here's something from Wikipedia.com: The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August of 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental passenger train in American history (ignoring, of course, the comparatively small gaps between its endpoint stations and the respective seacoasts). From late August of 2005 to the present, the train has remained officially a Florida-to-Los Angeles train, being considered temporarily truncated due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. At first (until late October 2005) it was truncated to a San Antonio-to-Los Angeles service; since then (from late October 2005 on) it has been truncated to a New Orleans-to-Los Angeles service. As time has passed, particularly since the January 2006 completion of the rebuilding of damaged tracks east of New Orleans by their owner CSX Transportation Inc., the obstacles to restoration of the Sunset Limited's full route have been more managerial and political than physical.Perhaps there's a guy or two who may be able to shed some additional light onto this . . . . . . And lead us NOT into Trent Station! That's cute . . . Thanx for brightening up the day for us! [tup ] Lars at 11:55 AM today- June 29th: Another daily visit from our Manager! Nicely put together list of who's been at the bar lately. Kinda sez it all, eh I'm hoping that this summer we'll do better than last in terms of keeping things hummin' at the bar. Don't need to be inundated, just a "regular" flow will help immensely. Thanx! Great idea for the "internationals" amongst us to give a hand on the 4th of July! Some day time Posts would really take the "burden" off of the "few" watching this place. How come I'm not seeing any "fruits of your labors" regarding the <ahem> admin work??!!Thanx for the round ‘n chat! See ya in the mornin' . . . Leon, set 'em up - Boris, ring the bell! Tom Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Friday, June 29, 2007 2:59 PM G'day Gents!A visit from DL in the UK - and - our Manager, Lars! Sorry I didn't pick up on your Post from early morning, DL - will make comment in Saturday's summary. A nice compilation from our Manager with regard to "who's been here" lately! Continuing on with Pix from Day Four: Sunday - May 27th, 2007 - ExpoRail Canadian Railway Museum at Delson/Saint-Constant, Quebec, Canada Canadian National Railway (CNR #9191) Baggage car - Built by National Steel Car (1952) Scenes Toronto Suburban Railway (TSR #8) passing by - Built by Patterson & Corbin (c. 1895) <different view on Page 74> Canadian National (CN #30) GE 70 ton switcher - Built by GE (1950) Ontario Northland Railway (ONR #1400) RS10 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1955) Canadian Pacific (CP #7077) S-2 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1948) <different view Posted on Page 73> To be continued . . . Tom Happy Railroading! Siberianmo LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by LoveDomes on Friday, June 29, 2007 11:55 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!Ruth my deAH, ‘tis the Larsman again with a hearty thirst! My, my you are a lovely sight on this dreary morning, but we're in here and not out there! A mugga Joe with a jolt, a #3 from the menu board and of course treats for the crittAHs! Boris, don't look so forlorn, the small jar of pickled pig's feet is for YOU after you've fed the gang! A round on me and the change is yours, my deAH! <grin>Nice work with the New Zealand spread, Cap'n Tom. Pretty much what I tried to put together yesterday, but not as elaborate as what you did. Always yield to the "master," huh Great spate of Expo Rail shots and as evAH, surely is keeping the interested peaked ‘round the joint. Thanks for all the effort and willingness to let us "in" on the expeience! I think you've covered the "bases" quite well with your morning post, so I won't parrot the accolades for one ‘n all. In spite of the dwindling numbers, we seem to be holding our own lately, huh Must've been my return to the bar that did it! DL made a great post this morning - appears the "gremlins" kept the Cap'n from seeing it. Just makes me wondAH about this "improved" formatting, etc. Anyway, nice to see ya aboard and perhaps you can help us out on the 4th of July.Figured that if the "internationals" amongst us could make a post that day, it would give we Yanks a bit of time to enjoy the holiday. Whadyathink??? Your post is replete with so many Urls to this ‘n that, THAT I find myself immersed in them. When I look back to the times when we made port calls in England, I'm chagrined that I didn't take advantage of what WAS. But those were far different times and admittedly, I was a different person in terms of likes ‘ dislikes. Appreciate the effort you always put forth with in your visits. [tup ] I note that perhaps my ‘stirring the pot' shook loose one Mr. Barndad! So be it - always good to see the man about the decks and of course he's missed - very much so. We ALL have lives, mate and I'm not removed from it. In not that too many days, I'll be off again to the Keys . . . but you can bet I'll do everything possible to "connect" with this gin mill - my place in the ether for RnR! Hey Cap'n - Ya know, I'm NOT sure where that dialogue begun with West Coast S (Dave) on the "kids" stuff. I think my response was moreso in the polite vein, in that don't recall evAH bringing it up. As of right now, a should be able to drop by on Saturday . . . any further down the line than that, can't wager a guess. <ugh>Was figuring out who the recent customers have been and came up with this:Barndad Doug - CMSTPP James - coalminer3 CM3 Shane - EricX2000 Eric - - Fergmiester Fergie - Gunneral Allan -marthastrainyard Per - nickinwestwales Nick- pwolfe Pete - wanswheel Mike - West Coast S Dave - ‘n yours truly. Now that's NOT BAD for a thread that at times has appeared to be foundering . . . <that's NOT floundering - as in fish - which most land lubbers probably think is correct!> Mets?? Why even Mother Nature is on their side! Let's go METS! Why yes, Ruth - it IS time to catch up on the <ahem> admin work . . . .Until the next time! Lars siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Friday, June 29, 2007 9:26 AM Now arriving on Track #1 - Railways of Down Under - Number One New Zealand ONTRACKUsed with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. ONTRACK (Rere Totika in Maori), since 2004 the trading name of the New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC), is a State-Owned Enterprise that owns, manages and maintains New Zealand's rail infrastructure. Until 1990 NZRC operated New Zealand rail, bus and ferry services. Like the New Zealand Railways Department that preceded it, it had a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways. The ministerial office was dissolved in 1993. Areas of operationONTRACK has three main areas of operation:It owns almost all of New Zealand's main-line rail infrastructure (see List of New Zealand railway lines). It provides rail operators, primarily Toll NZ pursuant to its agreements with the Crown, with access to the rail network in return for the payment of track access charges. It is also responsible for the maintenance and development of the network. It is the rail network controller, providing services such as train control and signalling. It administers a substantial portfolio of land on behalf of the Crown, and derives income from leasing land and buildings on a commercial basis. The ONTRACK network consists of:Route length: 3,898 km Tunnels: 149 Bridges: 2,178 Electrification: 95 km at 1.5 kV DC (Wellington area), 411 km at 25 kV 50 Hz AC (NIMT central section) History1981 - 1990: National rail operatorNZRC was created as a statutory corporation by the New Zealand Railways Corporation Act 1981 from the New Zealand Railways Department. Along with rail operations, NZRC inherited New Zealand Railways Road Services (bus and parcels services) and SeaRail (inter-island ferries).During the 1980s it faced many tough challenges, such as the deregulation of the land transport industry in 1982 resulting from the repeal of the Transport Licensing Act 1931 and the resulting growth of competition from road freight operators. In 1984 international consultants Booz Allen Hamilton reported to the National government on how a viable rail network could be created. The report recommended, amongst other things:The reduction of staff numbers; Rationalisation of the locomotive and wagon fleet; Rationalisation of the railway workshops; and Re-focussing long-distance passenger services towards tourists. This prompted the Opposition Labour Party to launch a ‘Save Rail' campaign. Despite this, rationalisation of NZRC began with the election of the Fourth Labour government in mid 1984. Staff cuts were drastic, infrastructure was reduced and older classes of locomotives scrapped, and workshops closed. In 1985 NZRC began a major restructuring programme, transforming the old functionally-based branch structure into three core business groups:Railfreight (later Railfreight Systems ), combining rail and road freight and including all rail engineering functions the Passenger Business Group consisting of New Zealand Railways Road Services pasenger and parcels operations, later branded Cityline for suburban rail and bus services, InterCity for rail and bus long-distance services, and Speedlink for rail and road parcels SeaRail, the rail and road ferry service between the North and South Islands. 1990 - 1991: Break up and asset salesNew Zealand Rail Limited (NZRL) was established as a Crown Transferee Company under the provisions of the New Zealand Railways Corporation Restructuring Act 1990, and took over NZRC's rail transport and shipping activities including the rail tracks on 28 October 1990, leasing the rail land corridor from NZRC for $1 per year. Branding initially remained unchanged, except that suburban passenger services were rebranded CityRail.NZRL was sold for $400 million to a consortium of Wisconsin Central Railway (40%), Berkshire Partners (20%) and Fay, Richwhite & Company (40%) in 1993. The company was renamed Tranz Rail in 1995, with urban passenger services rebranded Tranz Metro, long-distance passenger Tranz Scenic, and freight Tranz Link. Tranz Rail was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2004 and renamed Toll NZ.Non-core assets remained with NZRC prior to their disposal. Many of these assets were written down by the Government, for some $830 million. Speedlink Parcels was sold to New Zealand Post, and Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Friday, June 29, 2007 6:31 AM <w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/>G'day Gents! And it's FRIDAY at the Saloon by the Siding! Time for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast - coffee ‘n pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery! <ummmm>A contrast in weeks, but better than most at this oasis for those who enjoy the subject of Classic Trains while enjoying the surroundings of this most comfortable of cyber bars! Cards got spared another loss to the Mets, thanx to the RAIN OUT in New YAWK! <geesh> REMINDER: We'll be flying the Canadian Maple Leaf in front of "Our" Place on Sunday ‘n Monday in commemoration of Canada Day - July 1st. While the bar is CLOSED on Sundays, we want our cousins from the north to know we're thinking ‘bout ‘em! After all, "Our" Place is located in Can-Am County! <grin> NOTICE: The bar will be OPEN on Wednesday, July 4th - Independence Day in the U.S. The tent will be set up out back for the late afternoon festivities and fireworks display in the evening. Boris ‘n Leon will be dressed in their "Uncle Sam" outfits and handling security for the crowd. <uh oh>Noticed marthastrainyard - Per was logged in yesterday . . . perhaps we'll be seeing him back at the bar pretty soon! Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative): Lars at 12:02 PM ‘n 1:36 PM Thursday - June 28th: Twice visited from our Manager! Not to worry about being "rushed" - happens . . . A fine spate of Pix of the New Zealand trains! Lars, "We takes what we gets!" here at the Tavern by the Tracks - win some, lose some and others are rained out . . . Being YOU is much more appreciated than being disingenuous. Must say, you DO have a way of stirring the pot . . . <grin>Didn't catch any "gloating" in your Post about the Mets beating my Cards <again> last nite! <groan> <grin>So, WHY would you want the phone number of a gal in Sweden who by now must be at least 20 years older and . . . hmmmmm, then again, we're ALL 20 years older, eh Appreciate the round, visits ‘n fotos! Pete at 4:44 PM Thursday - June 28th: Did we really spend over 2 hours on the fone!?!?! Time flies when you're having fun, eh Glad I could help return you to your normal good nature ‘n humor! Putting together those fotos of our trip to ExpoRail makes me want to plan for another "go" at that place!! Interested Now if we could only figure out an economical way of getting from here to there . . . . <groan>I'm tempted to make that trip to KCity myself . . . but doubt I will. Juneau would surely have something to "say" about ANOTHER day away so close to those I had last month. Husky dogs NEVER forget - must be the "elephant" in ‘em . . . Glad you enjoyed those links - I too found them very interesting. That Victoria Jubilee Bridge across the St. Lawrence Seaway is much more enjoyable to cross while up in the dome. There's just no comparing our Renaissance car ‘n Budd car experiences, eh The latter "wins" hands down, everytime . . . Also, that concept in the canal building link is simply amazing. Goes to show that all good ideas aren't restricted to just "modern times." I think people tend to overlook - and forget - the innovations of the past. Let's see, there were the Pyramids, then . . . . <grin>Thanx for the visit, round ‘n interesting Post! Doug at 8:22 PM Thursday - June 28th: I don't believe it! The Barn Weevil has not only made an appearance, BUT has been "peeking in" all along! So for those of you out there who have been DOUBTERS - like our Manager Lars!!! - keep the faith, our Illinois Connection isn't about to "shuck" the bar in favor of other interests. <nah nah nah> Only thing I MUST mention is that RUTH isn't tending bar at night!! It's Leon - L-E-O-N, and it's not only the anatomy that's different! <geesh>Catch ya when the wind shifts, Mate! James at 11:01 PM Thursday - June 28th: All I can say is with reference to your link to the bridge at Stockwood Fill. I'd NEVER heard of it and found the article most fascinating. Sadly, this appears to have been a huge undertaking almost boarding on folly in that had thorough geologic surveys been done, perhaps the NP would&# Happy Railroading! Siberianmo siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! 3rd Year of adults 'n REAL Classic Trains in a special environment! Posted by siberianmo on Friday, June 29, 2007 6:30 AM <w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/>G'day Gents! And it's FRIDAY at the Saloon by the Siding! Time for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast - coffee ‘n pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery! <ummmm>A contrast in weeks, but better than most at this oasis for those who enjoy the subject of Classic Trains while enjoying the surroundings of this most comfortable of cyber bars! Cards got spared another loss to the Mets, thanx to the RAIN OUT in New YAWK! <geesh> REMINDER: We'll be flying the Canadian Maple Leaf in front of "Our" Place on Sunday ‘n Monday in commemoration of Canada Day - July 1st. While the bar is CLOSED on Sundays, we want our cousins from the north to know we're thinking ‘bout ‘em! After all, "Our" Place is located in Can-Am County! <grin> NOTICE: The bar will be OPEN on Wednesday, July 4th - Independence Day in the U.S. The tent will be set up out back for the late afternoon festivities and fireworks display in the evening. Boris ‘n Leon will be dressed in their "Uncle Sam" outfits and handling security for the crowd. <uh oh>Noticed marthastrainyard - Pers was logged in yesterday . . . perhaps we'll be seeing him back at the bar pretty soon! Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative): Lars at 12:02 PM ‘n 1:36 PM Thursday - June 28th: Twice visited from our Manager! Not to worry about being "rushed" - happens . . . A fine spate of Pix of the New Zealand trains! Lars, "We takes what we gets!" here at the Tavern by the Tracks - win some, lose some and others are rained out . . . Being YOU is much more appreciated than being disingenuous. Must say, you DO have a way of stirring the pot . . . <grin>Didn't catch any "gloating" in your Post about the Mets beating my Cards <again> last nite! <groan> <grin>So, WHY would you want the phone number of a gal in Sweden who by now must be at least 20 years older and . . . hmmmmm, then again, we're ALL 20 years older, eh Appreciate the round, visits ‘n fotos! Pete at 4:44 PM Thursday - June 28th: Did we really spend over 2 hours on the fone!?!?! Time flies when you're having fun, eh Glad I could help return you to your normal good nature ‘n humor! Putting together those fotos of our trip to ExpoRail makes me want to plan for another "go" at that place!! Interested Now if we could only figure out an economical way of getting from here to there . . . . <groan>I'm tempted to make that trip to KCity myself . . . but doubt I will. Juneau would surely have something to "say" about ANOTHER day away so close to those I had last month. Husky dogs NEVER forget - must be the "elephant" in ‘em . . . Glad you enjoyed those links - I too found them very interesting. That Victoria Jubilee Bridge across the St. Lawrence Seaway is much more enjoyable to cross while up in the dome. There's just no comparing our Renaissance car ‘n Budd car experiences, eh The latter "wins" hands down, everytime . . . Also, that concept in the canal building link is simply amazing. Goes to show that all good ideas aren't restricted to just "modern times." I think people tend to overlook - and forget - the innovations of the past. Let's see, there were the Pyramids, then . . . . <grin>Thanx for the visit, round ‘n interesting Post! Doug at 8:22 PM Thursday - June 28th: I don't believe it! The Barn Weevil has not only made an appearance, BUT has been "peeking in" all along! So for those of you out there who have been DOUBTERS - like our Manager Lars!!! - keep the faith, our Illinois Connection isn't about to "shuck" the bar in favor of other interests. <nah nah nah> Only thing I MUST mention is that RUTH isn't tending bar at night!! It's Leon - L-E-O-N, and it's not only the anatomy that's different! <geesh>Catch ya when the wind shifts, Mate! James at 11:01 PM Thursday - June 28th: All I can say is with reference to your link to the bridge at Stockwood Fill. I'd NEVER heard of it and found the article most fascinating. Sadly, this appears to have been a huge undertaking almost boarding on folly in that had thorough geologic surveys been done, perhaps the NP would've discovered how futile the plan was. Of course that's all <hindsight> from me Happy Railroading! Siberianmo DL - UK Member sinceAugust 2006 280 posts Posted by DL - UK on Friday, June 29, 2007 6:06 AM Hello Tom and crewI'll have something from the menu (perhaps a pancake breakfast) and one of two of those Mentor pastries, and a fruit juice please. By the way - the subject of Beans on Toast was raised recently - Pete - what, may I ask, do you do about Marmite? I had a devil of a job finding any in Quebec to offer my friends - they had a shock when they tasted some I can tell you!!!As you may have heard we've had some pretty crazy downpours here - with both major rail and road links closed earlier in the week - at one point there was a risk of a Dam near Sheffield bursting so that was pretty extreme - apparently that is under control now.First of all a few catch ups.Tom - I enjoyed that repeat of an Ocean Journey from 2005 - sad to think I missed the ability to take that run in Budd equipment by about 1 year. A shame. Interesting info on the Empire Builder and the Coast Starlight - runs I'd like to take. In fact I was sorting out my paperwork from my recent Toronto trip and found the spring Amtrak system timetable - which I was enjoying reading over breakfast - in fact I was looking at the run you did at the recent re-union - does Pete come in from the east from Jefferson City? It is good to study the map and think of the journey's one could do. I see the Sunset Limited is still not running east of New Orleans - is that ever going to be re-instated? What's the excuse for the non re-instatement - surely the lines are back in place by now?I think you are right about the museums in the UK - you don't seem to have to go too far to find a bunch of guys trying to fix up some rusty metal object that has seen better days (whilst some other metal gets more rusty as fast as they work) - we must have an addiction to it - plenty of railroad museums, workshops and restoration centres with volunteers working hard - some are big enough to have a critical mass - but others I fear are quite small and may not last for ever.Lars - thanks for that C-Zephyr link - it matches the one I posted a while back which I will post again - but does not seem to have been updated even though the archive is good.http://calzephyr.railfan.net/I've book marked your link for reference as it has a lot of interesting info - esp on the whereabouts of the current cars. Dave - enjoyed reading your SP info - something I know nothing about but learned much from your posts in response to James' queriesEric - thanks for follow up info on the Leyland rail bus - you mentioned lack of side doors in buses - interesting point - outside of London they are not common - in fact often non existent - I think this is because of the bizarre tendency for the UK public to jump fare payment - with that in mind they want to route all passengers via the driver where you have to show your ticket or pass or pay your fare. It's crazy because it slows down the journey - very different from the continental tendency to get on any door and validate your own ticket on a stamp machine. The new ‘bendy' articulated London buses on some route have mid body doors but they have gained the nick name of the ‘free buses' because people get on at these points and don't bother to pay. Dodging fares - which are not very expensive - seems to be a British obsession - esp. for certain youths and other n'er do wells!Yes, I did enjoy driving the switching loco - even if only on a short stretch - there were some complicated points to go over and despite the large glazed area it was obvious that visibility close to the loco was slim - so working in those yards for those staff on foot in the area could have been dangerous.Pete - thanks for the excavator info - remarkable that I find it hard to find any info on that machine then it turns out an Our Place regular has even been on board - for it must surely be the same one - although I think they had about 5 in total. What was the scale of the operating cab / area you went inside? It was sad to see it in such poor condition at Rutland - I can't really imagine it was very restorable given the state of decay of the ‘preserved' cab - it wasn't really even tarpualined up properly.Maybe Mike can find some great pics of giant drag line excavators (eg the one in that article you linked to - Big Brutus)? If anyone can Mike can!That land cruise link was good - this para said it all:"We were booked a 1hr 40min stop at Rhyl, during which time we saw BR Std 5 4-6-0 no 73040 on the Up Welshman, Britannia 4-6-2 no 70048 on the up Irish Mail, Compound 4-4-0 no 41166 on a Llandudno to Derby, 45688 Polyphemus, and an assortment of Black 5's, 2MT 2-6-2T's, and several ex L & Y 0-6-0's. "Plenty of action then even in a short stop - how the world has changed - I can only imagine it!Incidentally - I bet those Crewe men weren't so keen on painting that A4 either - what was wrong with sending it to Doncaster?You mentioned Hayling Island and the need for light weight locos - this was near where my grandparents lived - here are 2 atmospheric picshttp://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10457694&wwwflag=3&imagepos=1http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10324665&wwwflag=2&imagepos=2I think the disused track bed is now a foot path / cycle path and part of the station has been turned into a Theatre - see - with some interesting vintage photos:http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/h/hayling_island/index.shtmlAlso at Rutland I picked up an interesting book about Trent Station - which was a rather strange junction based in the middle of no where near here.Scroll down this page below the author's family pics for a picture and some info:http://www.geoffreykingscott.co.uk/contents.htmlA diagram on that page shows what a complicated junction it was and why it was a notable place. "Trent Station had a number of features which made it almost unique among railway stations. It was built solely as an interchange, on what would now be called a greenfield site, in the south-east corner of Derbyshire. As it did not serve any local population it was named after a river, rather than after a town or village. It opened in 1862, and was described in one Midland Railway publication as "the junction for everywhere". It changed little in its 106 years of existence, and even to its last day, December 31, 1967, was lit by gas lamps, never having had electricity."In the book the author recalls that at School - he was local - when reciting the Lord's prayer they would switch a key line to ‘Lead us not into Trent Station' - I thought that was amusing!!Anyhow - my travel continued with a drive through the countryside to investigate a windmill at a place called Wymondham - very much a quintessential English village - old pub, old church etc - anyway - the windmill was just outside the village on rising ground - and to get there we had to cross what was obviously the long closed railway line.If you look at this picture you can see it from the air http://www.windmillworld.com/millid/1520.htm- with the old railway line being the line of trees running east west across the photo - you can zoom in and see the old station (now a house) on the eastern side of the road. It still had its original platforms. On the western side of the road are some old railway workers cottages north of the line, and the roof of the large goods shed is clearly visible - this building was in very good condition - with the roof intact and its doors all in order - looked unaltered from the days of the railway - it was not clear who owned it now - and it did not look like it was used very much, if at all, as the grass around it was not trodden down by foot or vehicle.The only sad bit was a beautiful little weigh bridge office at the entrance to what would have been the goods year from the road - lovely brick and slate construction but sadly the roof had been allowed to collapse and tree was growing up through it. The original construction was clearly very carefully built - no doubt at some expense.The size of the goods shed must reflect the importance of the agricultural business in the area - as it is not an industrial location. You can see from the air the quite large level area that would have been the goods yard.This station would have been one of the lines on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. This was line built to provide access from the industrial Midlands to the east of England (East Anglia - and for most of its years its main business would have been tourist traffic to the resorts on the east coast - and agricultural traffic to the Midlands from East Anglia - which is a big farming area).The line was jointly owned - and always a backwater route I am sure as it duplicated other lines from end to end (although not on the intermediate points). This led to early risk of closure and the line was closed as long ago as 1959 so it was interesting to find these relics so unaltered. Running through predominantly rural landscape a journey on the line must have been most enjoyable back in the day (who has got the time machine key?).Part of the line has been preserved (although not at this location I describe) and you can take a delightful steam hauled trip along 5 miles of it.These links have interesting information. Sadly I can't find any pictures of Wymondham station on the web back in its heyday.http://www.mandgn.co.uk/http://www.mgncircle.org.uk/http://www.mandgn.co.uk/museum_history.htmAnyway - on the way home from this expedition we were passed over head by the Red Arrows - the Royal Air Force display team - doing some practice formation flying at low altitude -presumably from their air base not so far away. All in all a good expedition!RegardsDL EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Friday, June 29, 2007 1:26 AM Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Leon, I would like my favorite, Rumpsteak Café de Paris! Fries! Coffee would be perfect!Friday!!! Friday afternoon at 5 is the best time of the week! Even more so this Friday, I am going to have five days off!! Perfect!Tom – I know there is always snow on Mt. Mentor, but it should not be enough for a slide this time of the year! Thanks for the info on Chigneto! Have you ever been in that neighborhood and seen the remains? The link took me to an interesting site about canals and locks. I found two Swedish canals in the text, one that I have traveled myself!Now I understand why you like ExpoRail!! You found both RDCs and dome car(s)!! Interesting pictures! That museum obviously has a lot of rolling stock. Do you have an idea of in what condition most of the equipment outside was in? The Observation Dome Car doesn’t look too bad. It needs some work but...Lars – Very nice and interesting pictures from NZ! It looks like they have narrow gauge tracks. Hopefully Allan can confirm or correct me.Pete – Thanks for the info on those British steamers! I had commuter service in mind when I saw the picture of Waddon. Light locomotive for a light commuter train. Easy to go around at the end station and then travel in the opposite direction.I learned something new again! Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond books! Doug – Nice to see you again, Sir! I am taking my vitamins every day, preparing myself for some busy days in Chicago next spring! Museum in Wisconsin? Hmm, I wonder if that could be one of two I have in mind?James – Okay, I see what you mean! As far as I can tell your description was correct! Family members and books are always to good help regardless of what it is about. The simulator I have been running has hydraulic movement and that together with sound and a good screen makes it very real! The first time I was running it and had done that for about 5 minutes, I met another train (on the screen) and before I knew it I was waving to the engineer on that train. I felt kind of stupid when I realized what I was doing. Somewhere I have a picture of the simulator. I’ll try to find it and show it here. Boone, IA. Eric CMSTPP Member sinceAugust 2005 From: Along the old Milwaukee Road. 1,152 posts Posted by CMSTPP on Thursday, June 28, 2007 11:01 PM G-day Tom and all present!Leon- An OJ please, and a turkey sandwich. Thanks!Well, I see Tom asked if we ever get sleep up this way.. My answer would be yes, except I have a hard time staying up until 12:00 midnight. Believe me; I only do it for this place. I have way to much fun to quit. Of course right after, it's to bed. But I do enjoy coming around here and discussing all the neat stuff that goes on here.Eric- Well, on page 72, it was more like a quiz question about wheels on the passenger car. So I answered it to the best of my ability. It helps when you have family members and books teach you this stuff. All neat indeed. So you have run a simulator before. It's good to hear I'm not the only one here. Most simulators today have hydraulic movement so it makes it more real. Our simulator doesn't have that but it is cool.Tom- Thanks for the link to the Victoria Jubilee bridge. A very neat, old and long bridge.... But I'm afraid that, that bridge doesn't even scratch the one that I know. I see it every year as I go to Fargo ND, and as far as I know, it is the largest bridge in Minnesota if not in the United states. The Stock wood fill was a bridge that spanned 8 miles in length. It is now covered in dirt but the old bridge is indeed still underneath the tons of dirt. Check this link out: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/schwert/stockwd/stockwd1.htm This shows how it was made and what has happened over the last 100 years. The Northern Pacific railway once owned this but is now under control by BNSF.Your saying goes perfectly with what I was trying to say. I will have to remember that. Thanks. And some more nice pics form the Expo railway museum in Canada. They certainly have an extensive collection of Canadian railway history. Always good to see some older stuff preserved for generations to see.. Like me!! The RDCs looked GREAT!! I always love seeing those old cars around. Makes me glad we have one working here in Duluth. A question for you. Do they have an excursion trains With all that equipment you'd think they would have one. Thanks again.Lars- Good to see you back with some more fine pics to share with us today. I see you looked FAR and WIDE to find these pics. I'd say you did a good job. I don't recognize any of the equipment but it is cool. The very bottom pic looks like some locos from Australia. But I'm guessing there in NZ. Anyway, good show from you, Thanks!Pete- Well, Thanks for the history behind the Eisenhower steamer. I might need to make a trip up there this year. I should have gone deep into my mind back to my American History days <daze> because I do remember that he was a general before becoming the president. Interesting indeed.Hmm chain links and a hook on a long stick. I'm thinking that, that had to be a dangerous job at one time. I don't know if I could rely on the hook n' stick doing the job.. but I don't know if you would have been able to reach those chains. Some interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!Happy railroadingJames The Milwaukee Road From Miles City, Montana, to Avery, Idaho. The Mighty Milwaukee's Rocky Mountain Division. Visit: http://www.sd45.com/milwaukeeroad/index.htm « First«81828384858687»Last » SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more! 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Blodpudding - Black pudding
Falukorv - Sausage originating from Falun. The lifts and pumps at the Kopparberg copper mine in Falun were, before the introduction of steam engines, powered by oxen. When these oxen died from strain or old age, the skin was turned into leather ropes used in the mine, and the meat was turned into sausage - Falukorv.
Gravad lax - Salmon, salted, and cured
Isterband - Sausage made of coarsely ground pork, barley and potatoes
Janssons frestelse - Grated potatoes, onion, anchovy and cream - the anchovy here is not the genuine anchovy but a quite different species and is also spiced.
Julbord - Christmas smorgasbord
Julskinka - Christmas ham
Kaviar - Swedish caviar comes in tubes and is typically made from cod roe.
Kåldolmar - Cabbage rolls
Köttbullar - Swedish meatballs
Köttsoppa - A rustic beef and root vegetable soup
Kroppkakor - Boiled potato-dumplings, filled with pork
Lutfisk - Stockfish
Palt - Potato-dumplings with a filling of pork
Inlagd sill - Pickled herring
Pölsa - Hash
Raggmunk - Potato pancakes
Stekt fläsk och bruna bönor - Pork and brown beans
Canada Day at "Our" Place!
140th Birthday!
<legal observance>
Canadian Railways of the Past Number Three:British Columbia Railways (BCR) PART I of II
<Initially Posted on Page 261 of the Original Thread>
Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. BC Rail Locale British Columbia Reporting marks BCOL, BCIT (formerly PGE and PGER) Dates of operation 1912 - 2004 Track gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Original track gauge Headquarters North Vancouver, British Columbia BC Rail (AAR reporting marks BCOL and BCIT), known as the British Columbia Railway between 1972 and 1984 and as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE; AAR reporting marks PGE and PGER) before 1972, was a railway that operated in the Canadian province of British Columbia between 1912 and 2004. It was a class II regional railway and the third-largest in Canada, operating 2 320 km (1,441 miles) of mainline track. It was owned by the provincial government from 1918 until 2004, when it was sold to Canadian National Railway. Chartered in 1912, the railway was acquired by the provincial government in 1918 after running into financial difficulties. A railway that ran "from nowhere, to nowhere" for over 30 years, neither passing through any major city nor interchanging with any other railway, it expanded significantly between 1949 and 1984. Primarily a freight railway, it also offered passenger service, as well as some excursion services, most notably the Royal Hudson excursion train. The railway's operations were not always profitable, and its debts, at times, made it the centre of political controversy. History 1912-1948 Pacific Great Eastern Railway logo The Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) was incorporated on February 27, 1912, to build a line from Vancouver north to a connection with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP) at Prince George. Although independent from the GTP, the PGE had agreed that the GTP, whose western terminus was at the remote northern port of Prince Rupert, could use their line to gain access to Vancouver. The railway was given its name due to a loose association with England's Great Eastern Railway. Its financial backers were Timothy Foley, Patrick Welch and John Stewart, whose construction firm of Foley, Welch and Stewart was among the leading railway contractors in North America. Upon incorporation, the PGE took over the Howe Sound and Northern Railway, which at that point had built nine miles (15 km) of track north of Squamish. The British Columbia government gave the railway a guarantee of principal and 4% interest (later increased to 4.5% to make the bonds saleable) on the construction bonds of the railway. By 1915, the line was opened from Squamish 176 miles (283 km) north to Chasm. The railway was starting to run out of money, however. In 1915 it failed to make an interest payment on its bonds, obliging the provincial government to make good on its bond guarantee. In the 1916 provincial election campaign, the Liberal Party alleged that some of the money advanced to the railway for bond guarantee payments had instead gone into Conservative Party campaign funds. In the election, the Conservatives, who had won every seat in the legislature in 1912 election, lost to the Liberals. The Liberals then took Foley, Welch, and Stewart to court to recover $5 million of allegedly unaccounted funds. In early 1918, the railway's backers agreed to pay the government $1.1 million and turn the railway over to the government. When the government took over the railway, two separate sections of trackage had been completed: A small section between North Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay, and one between Squamish and Clinton. By 1921, the provincial government had extended the railway to a point 15 miles (24 km) north of Quesnel, still 20 miles (32 km) south of a connection to Prince George, but it was not extended further. The track north of Quesnel was later removed. Construction of the line between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish was given a low priority because there was already a barge in operation between Squamish and Vancouver, and the railway wanted to discontinue operations on the North Vancouver-Horseshoe Bay line. However, the railway had an agreement with the municipality of West Vancouver to provide passenger service that it was unable to get out of until 1928, when they paid the city $140,000 in support of its road-building programme. The last trains on the line ran on November 29, 1928, and the line fell into disuse, but was never formally abandoned. For the next 20 years the railway would run from "nowhere to nowhere". It did not connect with any other railway, and there were no large urban centres on its route. It existed mainly to connect logging and mining operations in the British Columbia interior with the coastal town of Squamish, where resources could then be transported by sea. The government still intended for the railway to reach Prince George, but the resources to do so were not available, especially during the Great Depression and World War II. The unfortunate state of the railway caused it to be given nicknames such as "Province's Great Expense", "Prince George Eventually", "Past God's Endurance", and "Please Go Easy". 1949 t
<w/permission: http://www.scenic-railroads.com/>
A smile to begin the week!
Shut up and talk.
<A Yogi-ism!>
The first Monday of a new month and the countdown to the END of summer begins for me - and it can't come too fast! <ugh> While I'm moaning ‘n groaning, I must say that we've been "blessed" by unseasonably cool ‘n comfortable temperatures for the past several days. All supposed to end by the 4th, but "we takes what we gets!" eh
Galley crew says the breakfast <light> ‘n <traditional> selections are ready - coffee's fresh ‘n hot - pastries are awaiting you in the Mentor Village Bakery case. Let's get with it!
Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative):
Lars at 11:08 AM Saturday - June 30th: Youse guyz are taking a whooping at the gas pump - just noticed our prices are at $2.86 (rounded) - that's quite a difference AND you've got all of those New Joisey refineries. Gotta figure that one out, eh
Thanx for keeping the daylight portion of our ENCORE! Saturday ‘n Photo Posting Day alive ‘n well. Nice to know the guys have things to do ‘n places to go - but for those who cudda stopped by and didn't, well it's surely their loss, eh
While a trip back to ExpoRail would be a treat - I'm not excited about the prospects of flying to New YAWK, fighting the way to Penn Station, taking Amtrak northward for an ALWAYS late arrival in Montreal then having to repeat it all for the return trek. Sorry, Lars, but that's not my idea of fun. Would be far better to simply fly to Montreal and "get ‘er done!" Just my two cents worth!
I like your idea of "help" on the 4th from the "internationalists" amongst us. Perhaps they will come through . . . if not, we'll muddle through, eh
Interesting menu from Norway. I remember some of those "names" from my childhood friends in the neighborhood I grew up in. "Fiske" this ‘n that was something I recall. Not so sure Eric would've enjoyed THAT! <grin> I'll have to admit to not being a huge fan of fish-dishes either - I'm more along the lines of shrimp, lobster, scallops and halibut. Used to love ‘n devour steamed clams ‘n oysters - but that was way back when the oceans weren't such frightening places for pollution and the like. No more -semi-raw anything from the sea for me. <yikes>
I do concur with your thinking on language, but will let it remain there . . .
Nope, the RDCs were shut tight as was the VIA Rail Park Car (obs dome) so there was no opportunity to board ‘em.
All of my "visits" to Cuba were in connection with "Gitmo" - did make it to Havana in 1958 though as a "poor" sailor boy . . . quite the place, but way too expensive for the likes of Moi in those times. I think there were some other "short comings" too . . . <grin>
You are on the mark with the comments on the RDCs and the "vintage" automobiles still running down there. Gotta give credit where credit is due and the guys who have found ways to keep ‘em running are to be commended - BIG TIME. I believe Cuba had quite a successful passenger rail system . . . don't know now.
Cuba purchased 11 RDC-1s and 5 RDC-2s in 1951 for operation on their Cuba Railroad, Guantanamo & Western Raiload and Cuba Northern Railways.
Then in 1956-57, 4 RDC-1s and 6 RDC-3s went into service on their Western Railways <Occidentales>.
All rail systems were nationalized in 1960. <source: RDC The Budd Rail Diesel Car>
In 1998, five RDCs from VIA Rail were sold to Cuba: 3 RDC-1s, 1 RDC-2 & 1 RDC-3. <sources: numerous>
"Cute" comment on the Kiwi's and the America's Cup race . . . saw it in our local paper <aka: bird cage liner> too. <grin>
Appreciate the effort you've put into your visits and of course, giving me a break at watching things at the bar!
Eric at 8:40 PM Saturday - June 30th: Loved the foto-spread ‘story' - well done, Mate! 5 Salute to our Resident Desert Swede!
If I recall, the CP ‘n CN diesels wound up that way due to a switching error on MY part! <grimace> <grin> The foto came out quite well and shows quite a bit of detail . . . thanx!
Found it a bit unusual that YOU would travel to a place where there is SNOW! I mean that speaks loud ‘n clear about your "roots" and TRUE inner desire to be A-deep in the white stuff! <grin>
The shot of Erios is a "keeper" and I've added it to my collection. Of course it's on the disk set you sent, but I'm glad you provided it here. For s
Hi Tom and everyone, Happy Canada Day
One-quarter Canadian makes me a loony. Grandfather from Prince Edward Island. CV engineer at St. Albans, 20 minutes from Canada as his train flew. Drove up there to PEI in 1994, very beautiful island. Crossed the border into New Brunswick and sign said speed limit 100 mph. Or maybe it was 100 miles per hour-and-a-half. I did slow down when all those headlights came at me in broad daylight. Figured they were warning me of a Mountie on a very fast horse. Way home was though Pictou, Halifax and Yarmouth, then 11-hour boat ride to Portland. Longest ever at sea. Saw dolphins.
http://www.cvrma.org/pictures/MISC/dfrr4013_canadian_pacific_spiral_tunnel_(one_train).jpg
http://www.cvrma.org/pictures/MISC/dfrr4027_canadian_pacific_trans_canada_ltd_field_bc.jpg
Off topic pix for DL
http://pro.corbis.com/images/RT001083.jpg?size=67&uid={858d5d79-a61f-44d4-b455-c0557e71a78f}
http://www.geocities.com/silverspade66/gem26.jpg
Big Muskie
http://static.flickr.com/122/301323670_725ffb1fc3_o.jpg
http://www.vincelewis.net/diggers.html
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/59062053_4ce0a38fde_o.jpg
Lars was up for shirtless darts until Ruth asked how to get to Carnegie Hall
http://pro.corbis.com/images/MI-064-0255.jpg?size=67&uid={9099c23f-db6a-486f-ad94-d6f9c9aefd8c}
Mike
Ahoy Cap'n Tom 'n fellow travelers waiting for the bar to open!
A most HAPPY CANADA DAY to my "bookend" BK (Bud Karr 'n Lydia in Alberta) - Rob (trolleyMAN 'n his Mrs. in Brantford, Ontario) - and Fergie (Fergmiester from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia - who is current at sea). A 5- Salute to our friends north of the 49th! And of course to Cap'n Tom's Mrs. (from Ontario and points east 'n west!)
Here's a few "keep sakes" for those who appreciate 'things RR' !!
- AND -
CPR Selkirk locomotive No. 5915
CN #6071 4-8-2 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com)
CN #6307 4-8-4 (from: www.yesteryeardepot.com)
and there are so MANY, MANY MORE!!
Until the next time!
Lars
We're celebrating the annual event - but on Monday! So be sure to swing on by when the bar opens at 6 AM (all time zones - don't ask how we do THAT!!)
Enjoy the holiday and weekend . . .
Good Morning Captain Tom and Company!
I bring you greeting from the not so sunny offshore waters of Canada this Canada Day!
Yes the Ship's BBQ will be red hot this afternoon!
However to tie me over to that event I think a feed of Muscles is in order. served in a Black Bean and Marinara sauce with a side dish of Garlic Butter, please and thanks.
Anyway I must run as I have Captain's Rounds in one minute!
Later All Fergie
I'll be back for the Muscles!!
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
Eric-wonderful Can-Am pix-glad someone was on the case there
O.K fella`s-I`m outa here its getting ugly outside-a pleasant w/end to one and all,
take care,be lucky,Nick
And here is another:-
[img]
[img/]
Gentlemen,bar staff,dart players and other neer`do`wells`s-again a brief missive-the weather is closing in again and I dont want the `puter to get fried by lightning.....Leon (or is that Cindy-my dear girl,please lay off the steroids....... ) more of that evil fermented apple juice for all--starting to catch up on the weeks submissions-wild for those museum shots from our gracious host-the A4 and terrier are superlative-the FP9a in VIA colours is a dream come true,the RS10 from the Northland could only be improved by a return to its original colours...........LARS-those C.P `f` unit pix are a treat.Brief note on `Terriers` (Waddon et al)-I know of at least 3 still in regular service-`Stepney` on the Bluebell line,2 on the Isle of Wight line and possibly another 2 on the Kent & East Sussex lineWill keep the bulk of holiday pix for the 4th but here is a taster.... " border="0" />
Gentlemen,bar staff,dart players and other neer`do`wells`s-again a brief missive-the weather is closing in again and I dont want the `puter to get fried by lightning.....Leon (or is that Cindy-my dear girl,please lay off the steroids....... ) more of that evil fermented apple juice for all--starting to catch up on the weeks submissions-wild for those museum shots from our gracious host-the A4 and terrier are superlative-the FP9a in VIA colours is a dream come true,the RS10 from the Northland could only be improved by a return to its original colours...........LARS-those C.P `f` unit pix are a treat.
Brief note on `Terriers` (Waddon et al)-I know of at least 3 still in regular service-`Stepney` on the Bluebell line,2 on the Isle of Wight line and possibly another 2 on the Kent & East Sussex line
Will keep the bulk of holiday pix for the 4th but here is a taster....
Good eveing Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Cindy! Nice to see you again! Surprise me with a good drink before my meal! I am going to have that juicyFIlet Mignon tonight with mushrooms!
Kind of quiet Saturday hera at the Bar today! I think I will add some mixed pictures.
Tom – 116° on the 4th might not be correct. The latest forecast is 117° F. Our air conditioner is working pretty well so that should not be a problem. Last year we installed an air conditioner for the dog house and the dog (Taylor) is really appreciating it. You are correct about the snow on Mt Mentor. There is some snow there! I made a quick trip up there and some pictures from the trip are shown below. Interesting history to read, the Northern Alberta Railways! I think I have seen that name, J. D. McArthur, in earlier posts about Canadian railways!? NAR also tried RDCs but with no success. I wonder what went wrong? Two for me unknown movies at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre next week! I don’t even remember the Stooges’ An Ache In Every Stake! It will be an interesting week at the Theatre!Lars – Wow, you are really paying for your gas! $3.49 for regular gas? In Phoenix it is down to $2.79 today. Scandinavian 4th of July? Never thought of that. Norwegian menu in Norwegian and all! I think I’ll stick to the burgers though. I have been to Norway many times, both in business and on vacation and it is a beautiful country! Lots of mountains and fjords. Don’t tell the Captain, but one of the pictures below is actually from Norway (from 1974). Guess which one. Nice pictures from Canada with snow and everything!
First a few pictures from my very recent trip to Mt. Mentor to check the snow depth. I took the train and shortly before getting up there to Can-Am land I found the ground being partly snow covered.
At the Mentor station some people were waiting for the train to arrive.
I rented a car and drove up towards Mt. Mentor and in this picture you can see that there are some snow on the side of the mountain.
I made it, climbing through the snow, halfway to the top before giving up. Too much snow and way too cold for me. Since there was snow in the Mentor Village I drove on to the next station to catch the train going back. While I waited for the train I was observing how CPR and CN worked together switching cars.
Tonight, when I got to the bar I saw this Dining Car sitting outside on the siding! Makes me wonder if our Manager Lars is planning to remodel "Our Place" and let us use that dining car meanwhile?
It made me think about the last eveing of the 2nd Annual Rendezvous when we had a farewell dinner at this place, Erio's! A very nice place indeed!
Have a nice weekend!!
Eric
ENCORE! Saturday ‘n Photo Posting Day!
at "Our" Place!
We are CLOSED on SUNDAYs!Starting Sunday at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!
. . . July 1st thru 7th: The Cider House Rules (1999) Starring: Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd & Michael Caine - and - Cold Mountain (2003) Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins & Brendan Gleeson. SHORT: The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake (1941).
The Cider House Rules (1999)
PLOT SUMMARY:
Central to the story (set during World War II) is Homer (Tobey Maguire), a young man raised in a Maine orphanage, where the ether-sniffing Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) rules with benevolent grace while performing safe but illegal abortions. To expand his horizons, Homer follows a young couple (Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd) to do fieldwork on an apple farm, where his innocent eyes are opened to the good and evil of the world--and to the realization that not all rules are steadfast in all situations. By the time Homer returns to the orphanage, The Cider House Rules--which features one of Caine's finest performances--is memorable more for its many charming and insightful moments than for any lasting dramatic impact. Is Homer fated to come full circle in his kindhearted journey? It's left to the viewer to decide. --Jeff Shannon
from: amazon.com
Cold Mountain (2003)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/siberianmo/Movies/51DXPG9GM8L.jpg
A heroic attempt to capture, in all its tangled bitterness, the backwash of war-the lawless, scrappy life that takes shape behind the lines in an atmosphere of uneasy freedom. Inman (Jude Law), a young Confederate soldier, badly wounded and spiritually depleted, deserts his company and tries to make his way back to his home town in North Carolina and to a young woman, Ada (Nicole Kidman), he knew briefly and fell in love with. Along the way, he has a series of grotesque, terrifying adventures. Ada, meanwhile, aided by an arrogant interloper (Renée Zellweger) with a strong back, learns to run the farm that her late father left to her. The coming together of the two lovers has a satisfying kind of inevitability, like the halves of a drawbridge falling into place. Anthony Minghella adapted Charles Frazier's acclaimed 1997 novel, and directed in a style both high flown (the lovers' letters soar over the tormented landscapes like a blessing) and filthy with the mire and blood of war. The extraordinary cast includes Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Giovanni Ribisi. -David Denby Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker
SHORT: The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake(1941)PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly
The Stooges portray incredibly klutzy ice men who accidentally cause Mr. Lawrence (Vernon Dent) to smash not one but two birthday cakes. When they drive Mrs. Lawrence's cook and maid to quit, the Stooges volunteer to prepare the dinner, not knowing who her husband is!
from: threestooges.net
Enjoy! Tom
Cindy my lady, it's a treat to see you behind the bar on this Saturday! I'm sure it makes Cap'n Tom smile brightly as well! A mugga Joe with a jolt for me along with some pastries from the case should do it. Ah yes, treats for my friends - Boris, feed the crittAHs their "due" and you'll get your small jar of pickled pig's feet! A round on me and the change is YOURS!
Weather ‘round these parts is partly cloudy, high 70's "F" and appears that the rains have left us. We're supposed to have a nice conditions until Wednesday when the chance of thunderboomers crops up. Figured something would screw up the traditional <bang> <boom> <ahhhhh> of the 4th of July!
Mets are doin' just fine, thank you very much! LET'S KEEP GOING, METS!
Gasoline prices were at $3.49 at our "favorite" Gulf station. Times like these make me very, very happy to know that we really aren't in need of our car that much . . . When I tell my "kids" about the "gas wars" of old in New Jersey, they think I'm nuts . . . 30 cents (and lower) for a gallon of gas!
Hey Cap'n! That is a great travel aide for anyone thinking about Amtrak. Nicely done and I copied it for my "files." Man oh man those OTP's are terrible, especially for the long distance runs. I've been spending quite a bit of time checking this 'n that . . . again, many thanks! 5- Salute to our Cap'n for ALWAYS coming up with interesting aspects to what we like to talk about!
In reply to a request for pix from me, sorry guys, I don't "do" ‘em . . . I'm really not a picture taking kindaguy and those I took are stored away in boxes - probably faded at that. All of our California Zephyr trips were "captured" on black ‘n white back when my father took us and only the Good Lord knows where those wound up. The Mrs. and I hardly took any at all during our trips, as she was "in charge" of that department and most times forgot! <grin> So that's just the way it is and has been. Our pictures are in memory - as in grey matter!
I see the Man from Wales has returned to the bar. Now that's more like it - take a few days leave and come back. Far better ‘n being a "regular" then disappearing for months on end. <geesh> as the Cap'n would say!
Let's see, if we can get at least one post from Nick, DL, Allan ‘n Fergie on the 4th of July, we'll be in great shape. Are youse guyz "up" for it??? Surely would be nice!
We're going to have our "traditional" Scandinavian" 4th of July Celebration, which essentially means we'll speak English - enjoy hot dogs ‘n hamburgers and swear off things like:
Bergens fiskesuppe (Bergen fish soup)
Fiskesalat med pepperrotsaus (fish salad w/horseradish sauce
Stekt marinert makrell (grilled marinated mackerel)
Fiskepudding eller fiskefarse (fish pudding or fish balls)
Sorry Eric, I KNOW how much you enjoy FISH! <grin>
Got some "boomers" set to "go" too - ‘round here it's very controlled in that the neighbors all get into the act and the police are fine with it. Every now ‘n then someone oversteps the boundaries and they have to act.
Enjoyed the Encore! of the Northern Alberta Railways (NAR) and think it was very appropriate on the day B4 Canada Day! "Oh, Canada! Our home and . . . ." (only in English - perhaps Norwegian, but hardly could manage French!!)
What is more binding to a nation that it's common language? Wonder what it is about that - THAT escapes our politicians?? <triple geesh> Imagine if all the signage for RR's had to be in "several" official languages?? What a complete riot that would be . . . Surely hope they don't forget we ‘squareheads' when the day comes . . .
Good to see the Bar Chandler made it in but puzzled regarding this Saturday "off" business. Look, it's like THIS: You earn what you earn. So the "little" dipper is hanging right over there by your time card . . . <quadruple geesh>
A trip up to Montreal to check out the Expo Rail RR museum COULD begin right here at Penn Station. Why not? We could take Amtrak "up" - spend the night in Montreal - then a couple of days over at the museum - take the train back and have a blast. I'm for that! Suggest we wait ‘til fall - but I'm not sure about when they shut the place down. Something to think about for anyone interested in such things.
The RDCs look "cool" but surely in need of a sprucing up. Wonder if they run?? Did I tell you that somewhere "back when" I read that Canada sold off some former Via Rail RDC's to CUBA!!?? Yeah, happened I think a few years back. If I recollect, Cuba had ordered RDC's from Budd back in the 50's and they have kept ‘em running.
I've been to Cuba several times with the USN - but not since the embargo as a Merchie
This is ENCORE! Saturday - and - Photo Posting Day!
Remember: "Our" Place is CLOSED on Sundays.
Canadian Railways of the Past Number Two: Northern Alberta Railways (NAR)
<Initially Posted on Page 249 on the Original Thread>
Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements. Some heralds from other sources. Northern Alberta Railways Locale: Alberta, British Columbia Reporting marks: NAR Dates of operation: 1929 - 1981 Track gauge: 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta The Northern Alberta Railways (AAR reporting mark: NAR) was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981. Predecessor railways Railway construction in northern Alberta during the early 20th century was dominated by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both of which were building westward from Edmonton, AB to the Yellowhead Pass of the Rocky Mountains. Following the Dominion Land Survey grants to settlers, the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta was one of the few places left on the prairies with available agricultural land, however there was no railway connection. Several lines were chartered to serve both the Peace River and Waterways regions of the province, beginning with the Athabaska Railway in 1907. It was to build northeast from Edmonton to Dunvegan, AB, then to Fort George, BC. ED&BC The company was rechartered in 1911 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur as the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC). Construction of the ED&BC started in 1912 heading toward Westlock, AB, reaching High Prairie in 1914, and Spirit River in 1915. Deciding not to proceed to Dunvegan, a branch was built south from Rycroft, AB to Grande Prairie, AB in 1916 (400 miles northwest from Edmonton). In 1924 the line was extended to Wembley, AB and it reached Hythe, AB in 1928. In 1930 the line was extended westward across the provincial boundary to its western terminus at Dawson Creek, BC. A&GW In 1909 a charter was granted to the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (A&GW) to build from Edmonton to Waterways, AB on the Athabasca River. Construction faltered and the line was rechartered in 1913 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur. Construction of the AG&W began in 1914 from Carbondale, AB and reached Lac La Biche, AB in 1916. It reached Draper, AB in 1922 and its terminus at Waterways, AB in 1925. CCR In 1913 a charter was granted to the Central Canada Railway (CCR) under the ownership of J.D. McArthur to build from Winagami Junction, AB on the ED&BC to Peace River Crossing, AB in order to access barge traffic on the Peace River. Construction of the CCR began in 1914 and was completed in 1916. The CCR was subsequently extended to Berwyn, AB in 1921, then to Whitelaw, AB in 1924, Fairview, AB in 1928 and Hines Creek, AB in 1930. PVR In 1926, the provincial government passed a statute authorizing the government to construct the Pembina Valley Railway from Busby, AB, where it connected to the ED&BC line, to Barrhead, AB. Provincial ownership In 1920, the lines owned by J.D. McArthur entered financial difficulties following the First World War. Coinciding with the problems faced by the McArthur lines (ED&BC, A&GW, and CCR), both the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) had fallen victim to similar circumstances brought about by the financial strain of the conflict and falling traffic levels. The Dominion government had nationalized the GTPR and CNoR, along with other previously federally owned lines into the Canadian National Railways. Following the federal example, and in an attempt to preserve rail service to northern and northwestern Alberta, the provincial government leased the ED&BC and CCR in 1920 for five years. In 1921 the government entered into a five year agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to operate the ED&BC and CCR. That same year, the provincial government purchased the A&GW outright and chose to operate it separately. CPR immediately raised freight rates on the ED&BC and CCR lines, charging "mountain prices", claiming that the cost of operating on grades into the Peace and Smoky River valleys of the northwestern prairie was as much as it cost to operate in the Rocky Mountains. Consequently Peace River farmers paid the highest freight charges on the Canadian prairies to reach the lakehead at Port Arthur and Fort William. The provincial government purchased the ED&BC and CCR from McArthur in 1925, following the expiration of the five year lease. dissatisfied with the CPR's operation of the ED&BC and CCR, the provincial government allowed the operating contract for the these railways to expire in 1926, with operations subsequently taken over by the new provincial Department of Railways and Telecommunications which was also tasked to operate the AG&W and the newly-built PVR. In 1928, the provincial government began to solicit proposals from both the CPR and the Canadian National Railways (CNR) for purchasing the provincial railways. In 1924, CNR president Sir Henry Thornton visited the ED&BC line and in 1928, CPR president Edward Beattie did the same. Northern Alberta Railways In 1929 the provincial government grouped the ED&BC, CCR, AG&W, and PVR under the collective name Northern Alberta Railways (NAR), which received a federal charter on June 14. The NAR was subsequently sold to both the CNR and CPR in equal portions with both companies agreeing to maintain the NAR as a joint subsidiary. At that time, the NAR was the third-largest railway in Canada. In 1937 the NAR began to show a profit for the first time. In summer 1942, following the entry of the United States into the Second World War, the Alaska Highway civil defence project resulted in tremendous growth for the NAR, as the system was the only railway to service Alaska Highway mi
It's Saturday and the final day of the month of June - we're halfway to 2008!
So, what'll it be Try a <light> or <traditional> breakfast, or if you're interested is something "lighter" our pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery are fresh ‘n ready for eatin'!! Wash it all down with our famous Can-Am blend of coffee!
As previously mentioned, Sunday is the Oh-Fish-Ul Canada Day holiday for our friends north of the 49th and the ex-pats residing elsewhere. "Our" Place will fly the Maple Leaf on Sunday and Monday <legal observance> in honor of the event!
We WILL be OPEN on Wednesday, July 4th Independence Day ‘n our traditional celebration tent will be "up" for entertainment, food ‘n drink in late afternoon. Fireworks begin at "dark" - watch for Boris ‘n Leon in their "Uncle Sam" suits!
Pete at 5:24 PM ‘n 7:28 PM Friday - June 29th: Two visits from our Bar Chandler and the good news is that the inclusive, informative ‘n interesting chat continues - the bad news is that the Wolfman will be away <again> on Saturday! <geesh> That's THREE in a row, Mate - you're back to the "small dipper." <double geesh>
Perhaps one day we'll be able to repeat some of that Canada trip of ours - and maybe even have our Resident Desert Swede - Eric - accompany us. ExpoRail IS quite the place!
Pix look fine - and don't worry about the "captions" as they've been (or will be) in mine.
Figured you'd use those links regarding the Amtrak on-time-performance <or lack thereof> . . . makes one think thrice about "booking" a trip. Truly a shame . . .
Geography 101 for the Wolfman: You will be in SouthWEST Missouri over the 4th of July!! <triple geesh>
Rounds appreciated!
Nick at 8:38 PM Friday - June 29th: As promised, our Wales Connection returned at week's end. Glad you made it back and hope the holiday was everything ‘n more to all involved!
As you have indicated, there's been quite a lot of interesting "stuff" here at the bar and it surely will require one to put aside an hour or so just to absorb the most meaningful of it all. The Pix are worth the price of admission! <grin>
Am in hopes that YOU will be able to provide a Post for us on the 4th of July - as one of our "internationalists" at the bar, it surely would be appreciated by the Yanks amongst us!
Methinks 35mm is still far ‘n away "more better" than digital. Albeit there are those who have perfected the use of the latter <Doug ‘n Eric> whereas I muddle along with my "hit ‘n miss" technique . . . Take a bunch, every time - all the time - and some are bound to turn out acceptable! <grin> Kinda like meeting women, ask around enough, and surely ONE will accept! <double grin>
Perhaps you can drop a few notes through the mail slots on Sunday if today is "out" for ya . . .
Thanx for the round!
Eric at 3:14 AM today - June 30th: Now THAT's a late Post <or EARLY> from our Nocturnal Resident Desert Swede.
Covered the bases, as always, and enjoyed the chat, fer sure, fer sure.
The average temps atop Mt. Mentor are ALWAYS below freezing - that snow can't do anything but accumulate. Ahhhh, love the white stuff! <grin>
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEEN degrees on the 4th?!?!?! Are you SERIOUS?!?!?! <Good Gawd Gertie!> Hope your air conditioner is in good shape - there's NO WAY you'd catch me in climate like that . . . <ugh>
As we've learned over the use of it, Wikipedia is to be scrutinized before one "takes to the bank" any of the "facts" contained therein . . . It is a great source for the general "stuff" however . . . Pix too!
Pete ‘n I didn't have time to scout out the area where ExpoRail is located, so I'm without knowledge of places to stay and things to do. However, Montreal is only a 30 minute drive and there's PLENTY to take in there. Three days at ExpoRail and they might as well put us on the pay roll, eh <grin>
Yeah, no spitting on the streetcar - what's the world coming to, eh
Nice foto - where ‘n when??
Reminder: Ruth has the bar from 9 AM until Leon the Night Man comes in at 5 PM ‘til closing.
Thursday is Fish ‘ Chips Nite!
Friday is Pizza ‘n Beer Nite! - and - Steak ‘n Fries Nite!
Saturday is Steak ‘n All The Trimmings Nite!
Dinner begins at
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, I know it is early morning and almost time for breakfast, but I just want a cup of coffee before I'll hit the sack!
DL – Thanks for the explanation about the missing side doors on buses! You are right, it certainly slows down the journey, forcing passengers in the rear of the bus to walk all the way up front to get off. Switching cars (with a loco) is a job where you have to be alert all the time, both the guys on the ground and also the engineer. Tom – Nice to see that the bar will be open on Wednesday with the tent set up! I think I’ll spend the day there instead of here, we have been promised a hot 4th of July, at Least 116° F. I never noticed it was that much snow on Mt. Mentor! Even in the summertime. Well, it was spring when I saw it and I expected more of it to melt away! That VIA Rail Park car is at least covered and protected from getting worse. That is important! I certainly would like to visit that museum one day (sorry, 2-3 days). After seeing your pictures posted today, sorry, yesterday, I am even more convinced that it could be worth a visit! Nice pictures! Your camera focused well that day!Very interesting info on NZ and its railways! They have a system very similar to Sweden. The state owns almost all main-line infrastrucutre and provides access to the rail network to rail operators for a fee. I checked CIA’s site for info on the NZ railways and they claim that the route length is 4,128 km (2,565 miles), a little bit more than the Wikipedia info. The track is 1.067 m gauge (3 ft 6”). The CSX rail line east of New Orleans is repaired but Amtrak has not restored the train service between New Orleans and Miami for unknown reason(s). Amtrak is actually breaking the law by not running Sunset Limited all the way to Florida. NARP and Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission are trying to change Amtrak’s decision not to restore the trains service. Instead Amtrak is saying they are studying alternative routes. Lars – Thanks for the round! I hope you (and Ruth) managed to catch up on the admin work. Where is she?Pete – Waddon may need some major work to be brought back to operational condition. Like new tubes in the boiler. But maybe it is operational? Do you know for sure it isn’t? I will certainly enjoy my 5 days off!!! Thank you!!If your bride didn’t want to taste your Marmite sandwich it must be something bad! I am not sure if I want to know what it is? Something smelly? Thanks for the pictures! No spitting in the streetcar? The steamer seems to be a British wood burner. Or am I wrong?Dave – Get some rest and have a nice weekend! Hope to see you (and pictures) again soon!!
Gentlemen all,just a quick line to `touch base` as they say -Leon-huge mugs of finest Devonian scrumpy for the crew,returned safely -weather foul beyond belief,good haul of pix of immaculate G.W.R `heritage` steam plus a sampling of contempory working on the main line with a few grace notes of 15" garden rail--have got them loaded onto p/bucket and will transfer to the company as soon as I have my breath back.
Have had a quick scan through the last weeks submissions and can attest to a uniformly impressive quality of material.........Will get down to individual cases after a good nights sleep or two ( got a show to do tomorrow so not much chance there )
Somewhat of a Luddite when it comes to modern technology but the quality of the digital pix here lately could convince the most sceptical---fine work one and all !!!!!!!
Speak soon my dears,Nick
Another beer please LEON.
TOM I have been looking at the post you posted just before mine. We though of getting the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to LA on our California trip but decided against it.
Those links to Amtrak are indeed worth keeping. I have been looking at the trains between Kansas City and Kirkwood/St Louis for the last week and they make very sad reading An example, eastbound train 316 AVERAGED 132 minutes late and train 314 an average 135 mintues late in to Kirkwood.
Even the westbound train we caught, as averaged over an hour late with one being 200 minutes late. As we have said before though, how much of this is down to UP would be interesting to know.It must be hard for the train crew having to placate passengers who are over 3 hours late. It must be very sad for those who can remember the Classic years of train travel
I think I will have to have another Batham's please LEON
Pete.
HI Tom and all.
A pint of Holden's Mild and a round please RUTH.
Great to see you in the bar DOUG. Yes Tom as managed to get some good photos at the museum, it was hard to get decent photos in the shed #5.
I will get in training for the rendezvous. It sounds that we shall be so busy we will not have time for a Coors Light.
JAMES Thanks for the very interesting link to the Stockwood Fill and way the civil engineers battled the unsound ground conditions.
You are quite right shunting wagons in the old days was a very dangerous job. In the factory I worked out I worked in a test building and jobs were brought in by the works diesel shunter (switcher) which had a three link coupling, I have had got coupling and uncoupling the wagons, uncoupling is not too bad as you can use the buffer casing as a lever for the pole, but coupling up was hard as the coupling was quite heavy. The drivers were good though and would stop the switcher with the buffers just touching. The regular shunter would make it look so easy.
ERIC I forgot to mention about the "Terriers" locomotives, of which Waddon is one, is that the rather unique sound of the exhaust of the engines, a coughing sort of sound. Waddon looks in immaculate condition having just been repainted; I wonder how much work it would take to get her running again. I would have though it would be a great loco to work in the museum site, with the lightweight and small wheelbase.
It will be good to see a photo of the simulator.
Thanks for the photo of C&NW # 1003;what are the cars it was hauling, do you know.
Enjoy your 5 day break
DL Ah yes Marmite sandwiches, defiantly an acquired taste. I used to have them one day a week as a packed lunch at work, with crisps (chips) between the bread as well. I could not get the bride to taste it though.
I have talked to Alan and he told me some areas had been hit very hard with the flooding in England. A main problem he said was that once it started raining over an area there was not any wind to move the rain away
I guess fare dodging is still a big problem on the trains as well. The amount of revenue the railways must have lost through removing the ticket barriers at stations must be horrendous.
It has been a long time since I was in that excavator, but if memories served we three of us was able just behind the operator and the engine room was quite large and not too noisy. I wonder if the electrical equipment is still aboard the one at the Rutland Museum. I Hope the tarp does t keep the rain out if it is in there.
Glad you liked the North Wales link. We spent many a summer vacation at Rhyl. It was a very busy station in steam days especially on Summer Saturdays, when most people traveled to the seaside by train. Rhyl station site was much larger then. With the south side of the station being platforms and sidings for storing the coaching stock. A guide to how extensive the railway was there can be gained by the size of the two very large signal boxes at both ends of the station, I don't know if they both are still there, but they were until fairly recently.
I spent many a happy hour there watching the trains mainly from a small set of steps on a road bridge at the east of the station, although the station staff were very friendly and would let you on to the station, loco crews as well would, now and then, let you on to the footplate for a quick visit while the passengers were loaded. The locos were mainly ex LMS and BR Standard types with an occasional ex LNER B1 loco. I can recall an old ex Lancashire & Yorkshire 0-6-0 loco of 1889 vintage that used to be on station pilot duties.
I see in the Steam magazine that the Rhyl Miniature Railway which runs round the boating lake, and is visible from the main line to the west of Rhyl station has opened a new station and museum.
I can only guess that Doncaster paint shop was busy and I am sure Crewe works worked on steam locos longer than Doncaster.
Many thanks for the link to the photos of the Hayling Island Branch. I see one is an atmospheric photo by Colin Gifford. It is sad to see the station devoid of track but they have done a good job with the goods shed turning it into a theatre. Have you been to the museum at Liphook, it is many years since I last visited there.
Another great link to Geoffery Kingscott. What a great cover on the ‘Lost Railways of Leicestershire and Rutland book. I did use Trent Station once. I was going to Derby Works open day in 1965 and we traveled by the now closed Ru
Here's something some may wish to cut 'n keep!
===============================================
Amtrak trip planning help . . .
Here's a URL
http://www.amtrakdelays.com/index.php
that should help those planning trips with Amtrak. This "unofficial" site will give you up to three week's of on-time-performance (or lack thereof!).
You will need the three letter station code, found at:
http://www.amtrak.com/html/stations_A.html
And number of the train you are checking up on - which may be found at: http://pages.prodigy.net/kevinkorell/btn/numt2100.htm
Good luck!
================================================
Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative this AM):
DL at 6:06 AM today- June 29th: Don't know how it happened, but I missed your Post - not once, but TWICE!
Anyway, great seeing ya and that was one super-fine Post you provided for the gang!
Wolfman Pete lives to the west of where I am and the Rendezvous was held. He's pretty much in central Missouri, whereas I am on the eastern edge . . .
Anything I could offer regarding Amtrak's Sunset Limited would only be anecdotal - but here's a link of current schedule info that pretty much leaving things "up in the air" . . .
http://www.cwrr.com/Amtrak/w_sunset.html
Amtrak is suffering from equipment ‘n budget problems, so who knows!?!? Here's something from Wikipedia.com:
The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August of 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental passenger train in American history (ignoring, of course, the comparatively small gaps between its endpoint stations and the respective seacoasts). From late August of 2005 to the present, the train has remained officially a Florida-to-Los Angeles train, being considered temporarily truncated due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. At first (until late October 2005) it was truncated to a San Antonio-to-Los Angeles service; since then (from late October 2005 on) it has been truncated to a New Orleans-to-Los Angeles service. As time has passed, particularly since the January 2006 completion of the rebuilding of damaged tracks east of New Orleans by their owner CSX Transportation Inc., the obstacles to restoration of the Sunset Limited's full route have been more managerial and political than physical.
Perhaps there's a guy or two who may be able to shed some additional light onto this . . .
. . . And lead us NOT into Trent Station! That's cute . . .
Thanx for brightening up the day for us! [tup ]
Lars at 11:55 AM today- June 29th: Another daily visit from our Manager!
Nicely put together list of who's been at the bar lately. Kinda sez it all, eh I'm hoping that this summer we'll do better than last in terms of keeping things hummin' at the bar. Don't need to be inundated, just a "regular" flow will help immensely. Thanx!
Great idea for the "internationals" amongst us to give a hand on the 4th of July! Some day time Posts would really take the "burden" off of the "few" watching this place.
How come I'm not seeing any "fruits of your labors" regarding the <ahem> admin work??!!
Thanx for the round ‘n chat!
See ya in the mornin' . . . Leon, set 'em up - Boris, ring the bell!
A visit from DL in the UK - and - our Manager, Lars! Sorry I didn't pick up on your Post from early morning, DL - will make comment in Saturday's summary.
A nice compilation from our Manager with regard to "who's been here" lately!
Canadian National Railway (CNR #9191) Baggage car - Built by National Steel Car (1952)
Scenes
Toronto Suburban Railway (TSR #8) passing by - Built by Patterson & Corbin (c. 1895) <different view on Page 74>
Canadian National (CN #30) GE 70 ton switcher - Built by GE (1950)
Ontario Northland Railway (ONR #1400) RS10 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1955)
Canadian Pacific (CP #7077) S-2 - Built by Montreal Loco Works (1948) <different view Posted on Page 73>
Ruth my deAH, ‘tis the Larsman again with a hearty thirst! My, my you are a lovely sight on this dreary morning, but we're in here and not out there! A mugga Joe with a jolt, a #3 from the menu board and of course treats for the crittAHs! Boris, don't look so forlorn, the small jar of pickled pig's feet is for YOU after you've fed the gang! A round on me and the change is yours, my deAH! <grin>
Nice work with the New Zealand spread, Cap'n Tom. Pretty much what I tried to put together yesterday, but not as elaborate as what you did. Always yield to the "master," huh
Great spate of Expo Rail shots and as evAH, surely is keeping the interested peaked ‘round the joint. Thanks for all the effort and willingness to let us "in" on the expeience!
I think you've covered the "bases" quite well with your morning post, so I won't parrot the accolades for one ‘n all. In spite of the dwindling numbers, we seem to be holding our own lately, huh Must've been my return to the bar that did it!
DL made a great post this morning - appears the "gremlins" kept the Cap'n from seeing it. Just makes me wondAH about this "improved" formatting, etc. Anyway, nice to see ya aboard and perhaps you can help us out on the 4th of July.
Figured that if the "internationals" amongst us could make a post that day, it would give we Yanks a bit of time to enjoy the holiday. Whadyathink???
Your post is replete with so many Urls to this ‘n that, THAT I find myself immersed in them. When I look back to the times when we made port calls in England, I'm chagrined that I didn't take advantage of what WAS. But those were far different times and admittedly, I was a different person in terms of likes ‘ dislikes. Appreciate the effort you always put forth with in your visits. [tup ]
I note that perhaps my ‘stirring the pot' shook loose one Mr. Barndad! So be it - always good to see the man about the decks and of course he's missed - very much so.
We ALL have lives, mate and I'm not removed from it. In not that too many days, I'll be off again to the Keys . . . but you can bet I'll do everything possible to "connect" with this gin mill - my place in the ether for RnR!
Hey Cap'n - Ya know, I'm NOT sure where that dialogue begun with West Coast S (Dave) on the "kids" stuff. I think my response was moreso in the polite vein, in that don't recall evAH bringing it up.
As of right now, a should be able to drop by on Saturday . . . any further down the line than that, can't wager a guess. <ugh>
Was figuring out who the recent customers have been and came up with this:
Barndad Doug - CMSTPP James - coalminer3 CM3 Shane - EricX2000 Eric - - Fergmiester Fergie - Gunneral Allan -marthastrainyard Per - nickinwestwales Nick- pwolfe Pete - wanswheel Mike - West Coast S Dave - ‘n yours truly. Now that's NOT BAD for a thread that at times has appeared to be foundering . . . <that's NOT floundering - as in fish - which most land lubbers probably think is correct!>
Mets?? Why even Mother Nature is on their side! Let's go METS!
Why yes, Ruth - it IS time to catch up on the <ahem> admin work . . . .
Now arriving on Track #1 -
Railways of Down Under - Number One
New Zealand
ONTRACK
Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements.
ONTRACK (Rere Totika in Maori), since 2004 the trading name of the New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC), is a State-Owned Enterprise that owns, manages and maintains New Zealand's rail infrastructure. Until 1990 NZRC operated New Zealand rail, bus and ferry services. Like the New Zealand Railways Department that preceded it, it had a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways. The ministerial office was dissolved in 1993.
Areas of operation
ONTRACK has three main areas of operation:
The ONTRACK network consists of:
History
1981 - 1990: National rail operator
NZRC was created as a statutory corporation by the New Zealand Railways Corporation Act 1981 from the New Zealand Railways Department. Along with rail operations, NZRC inherited New Zealand Railways Road Services (bus and parcels services) and SeaRail (inter-island ferries).
During the 1980s it faced many tough challenges, such as the deregulation of the land transport industry in 1982 resulting from the repeal of the Transport Licensing Act 1931 and the resulting growth of competition from road freight operators. In 1984 international consultants Booz Allen Hamilton reported to the National government on how a viable rail network could be created. The report recommended, amongst other things:
This prompted the Opposition Labour Party to launch a ‘Save Rail' campaign. Despite this, rationalisation of NZRC began with the election of the Fourth Labour government in mid 1984. Staff cuts were drastic, infrastructure was reduced and older classes of locomotives scrapped, and workshops closed. In 1985 NZRC began a major restructuring programme, transforming the old functionally-based branch structure into three core business groups:
1990 - 1991: Break up and asset sales
New Zealand Rail Limited (NZRL) was established as a Crown Transferee Company under the provisions of the New Zealand Railways Corporation Restructuring Act 1990, and took over NZRC's rail transport and shipping activities including the rail tracks on 28 October 1990, leasing the rail land corridor from NZRC for $1 per year. Branding initially remained unchanged, except that suburban passenger services were rebranded CityRail.
NZRL was sold for $400 million to a consortium of Wisconsin Central Railway (40%), Berkshire Partners (20%) and Fay, Richwhite & Company (40%) in 1993. The company was renamed Tranz Rail in 1995, with urban passenger services rebranded Tranz Metro, long-distance passenger Tranz Scenic, and freight Tranz Link. Tranz Rail was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2004 and renamed Toll NZ.
Non-core assets remained with NZRC prior to their disposal. Many of these assets were written down by the Government, for some $830 million. Speedlink Parcels was sold to New Zealand Post, and
And it's FRIDAY at the Saloon by the Siding! Time for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast - coffee ‘n pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery! <ummmm>
A contrast in weeks, but better than most at this oasis for those who enjoy the subject of Classic Trains while enjoying the surroundings of this most comfortable of cyber bars!
Cards got spared another loss to the Mets, thanx to the RAIN OUT in New YAWK! <geesh>
REMINDER: We'll be flying the Canadian Maple Leaf in front of "Our" Place on Sunday ‘n Monday in commemoration of Canada Day - July 1st. While the bar is CLOSED on Sundays, we want our cousins from the north to know we're thinking ‘bout ‘em! After all, "Our" Place is located in Can-Am County! <grin>
NOTICE: The bar will be OPEN on Wednesday, July 4th - Independence Day in the U.S. The tent will be set up out back for the late afternoon festivities and fireworks display in the evening. Boris ‘n Leon will be dressed in their "Uncle Sam" outfits and handling security for the crowd. <uh oh>
Noticed marthastrainyard - Per was logged in yesterday . . . perhaps we'll be seeing him back at the bar pretty soon!
Lars at 12:02 PM ‘n 1:36 PM Thursday - June 28th: Twice visited from our Manager! Not to worry about being "rushed" - happens . . .
A fine spate of Pix of the New Zealand trains!
Lars, "We takes what we gets!" here at the Tavern by the Tracks - win some, lose some and others are rained out . . . Being YOU is much more appreciated than being disingenuous. Must say, you DO have a way of stirring the pot . . . <grin>
Didn't catch any "gloating" in your Post about the Mets beating my Cards <again> last nite! <groan> <grin>
So, WHY would you want the phone number of a gal in Sweden who by now must be at least 20 years older and . . . hmmmmm, then again, we're ALL 20 years older, eh
Appreciate the round, visits ‘n fotos!
Pete at 4:44 PM Thursday - June 28th: Did we really spend over 2 hours on the fone!?!?! Time flies when you're having fun, eh Glad I could help return you to your normal good nature ‘n humor!
Putting together those fotos of our trip to ExpoRail makes me want to plan for another "go" at that place!! Interested Now if we could only figure out an economical way of getting from here to there . . . . <groan>
I'm tempted to make that trip to KCity myself . . . but doubt I will. Juneau would surely have something to "say" about ANOTHER day away so close to those I had last month. Husky dogs NEVER forget - must be the "elephant" in ‘em . . .
Glad you enjoyed those links - I too found them very interesting. That Victoria Jubilee Bridge across the St. Lawrence Seaway is much more enjoyable to cross while up in the dome. There's just no comparing our Renaissance car ‘n Budd car experiences, eh The latter "wins" hands down, everytime . . . Also, that concept in the canal building link is simply amazing. Goes to show that all good ideas aren't restricted to just "modern times." I think people tend to overlook - and forget - the innovations of the past. Let's see, there were the Pyramids, then . . . . <grin>
Thanx for the visit, round ‘n interesting Post!
Doug at 8:22 PM Thursday - June 28th: I don't believe it! The Barn Weevil has not only made an appearance, BUT has been "peeking in" all along! So for those of you out there who have been DOUBTERS - like our Manager Lars!!! - keep the faith, our Illinois Connection isn't about to "shuck" the bar in favor of other interests. <nah nah nah>
Only thing I MUST mention is that RUTH isn't tending bar at night!! It's Leon - L-E-O-N, and it's not only the anatomy that's different! <geesh>
Catch ya when the wind shifts, Mate!
James at 11:01 PM Thursday - June 28th: All I can say is with reference to your link to the bridge at Stockwood Fill. I'd NEVER heard of it and found the article most fascinating. Sadly, this appears to have been a huge undertaking almost boarding on folly in that had thorough geologic surveys been done, perhaps the NP would&#
Noticed marthastrainyard - Pers was logged in yesterday . . . perhaps we'll be seeing him back at the bar pretty soon!
James at 11:01 PM Thursday - June 28th: All I can say is with reference to your link to the bridge at Stockwood Fill. I'd NEVER heard of it and found the article most fascinating. Sadly, this appears to have been a huge undertaking almost boarding on folly in that had thorough geologic surveys been done, perhaps the NP would've discovered how futile the plan was. Of course that's all <hindsight> from me
Hello Tom and crew
I'll have something from the menu (perhaps a pancake breakfast) and one of two of those Mentor pastries, and a fruit juice please.
By the way - the subject of Beans on Toast was raised recently - Pete - what, may I ask, do you do about Marmite? I had a devil of a job finding any in Quebec to offer my friends - they had a shock when they tasted some I can tell you!!!
As you may have heard we've had some pretty crazy downpours here - with both major rail and road links closed earlier in the week - at one point there was a risk of a Dam near Sheffield bursting so that was pretty extreme - apparently that is under control now.
First of all a few catch ups.
Tom - I enjoyed that repeat of an Ocean Journey from 2005 - sad to think I missed the ability to take that run in Budd equipment by about 1 year. A shame. Interesting info on the Empire Builder and the Coast Starlight - runs I'd like to take. In fact I was sorting out my paperwork from my recent Toronto trip and found the spring Amtrak system timetable - which I was enjoying reading over breakfast - in fact I was looking at the run you did at the recent re-union - does Pete come in from the east from Jefferson City? It is good to study the map and think of the journey's one could do. I see the Sunset Limited is still not running east of New Orleans - is that ever going to be re-instated? What's the excuse for the non re-instatement - surely the lines are back in place by now?
I think you are right about the museums in the UK - you don't seem to have to go too far to find a bunch of guys trying to fix up some rusty metal object that has seen better days (whilst some other metal gets more rusty as fast as they work) - we must have an addiction to it - plenty of railroad museums, workshops and restoration centres with volunteers working hard - some are big enough to have a critical mass - but others I fear are quite small and may not last for ever.
Lars - thanks for that C-Zephyr link - it matches the one I posted a while back which I will post again - but does not seem to have been updated even though the archive is good.
http://calzephyr.railfan.net/
I've book marked your link for reference as it has a lot of interesting info - esp on the whereabouts of the current cars.
Dave - enjoyed reading your SP info - something I know nothing about but learned much from your posts in response to James' queries
Eric - thanks for follow up info on the Leyland rail bus - you mentioned lack of side doors in buses - interesting point - outside of London they are not common - in fact often non existent - I think this is because of the bizarre tendency for the UK public to jump fare payment - with that in mind they want to route all passengers via the driver where you have to show your ticket or pass or pay your fare. It's crazy because it slows down the journey - very different from the continental tendency to get on any door and validate your own ticket on a stamp machine. The new ‘bendy' articulated London buses on some route have mid body doors but they have gained the nick name of the ‘free buses' because people get on at these points and don't bother to pay. Dodging fares - which are not very expensive - seems to be a British obsession - esp. for certain youths and other n'er do wells!
Yes, I did enjoy driving the switching loco - even if only on a short stretch - there were some complicated points to go over and despite the large glazed area it was obvious that visibility close to the loco was slim - so working in those yards for those staff on foot in the area could have been dangerous.
Pete - thanks for the excavator info - remarkable that I find it hard to find any info on that machine then it turns out an Our Place regular has even been on board - for it must surely be the same one - although I think they had about 5 in total. What was the scale of the operating cab / area you went inside? It was sad to see it in such poor condition at Rutland - I can't really imagine it was very restorable given the state of decay of the ‘preserved' cab - it wasn't really even tarpualined up properly.
Maybe Mike can find some great pics of giant drag line excavators (eg the one in that article you linked to - Big Brutus)? If anyone can Mike can!
That land cruise link was good - this para said it all:
"We were booked a 1hr 40min stop at Rhyl, during which time we saw BR Std 5 4-6-0 no 73040 on the Up Welshman, Britannia 4-6-2 no 70048 on the up Irish Mail, Compound 4-4-0 no 41166 on a Llandudno to Derby, 45688 Polyphemus, and an assortment of Black 5's, 2MT 2-6-2T's, and several ex L & Y 0-6-0's. "
Plenty of action then even in a short stop - how the world has changed - I can only imagine it!
Incidentally - I bet those Crewe men weren't so keen on painting that A4 either - what was wrong with sending it to Doncaster?
You mentioned Hayling Island and the need for light weight locos - this was near where my grandparents lived - here are 2 atmospheric pics
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10457694&wwwflag=3&imagepos=1
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10324665&wwwflag=2&imagepos=2
I think the disused track bed is now a foot path / cycle path and part of the station has been turned into a Theatre - see - with some interesting vintage photos:
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/h/hayling_island/index.shtml
Also at Rutland I picked up an interesting book about Trent Station - which was a rather strange junction based in the middle of no where near here.
Scroll down this page below the author's family pics for a picture and some info:
http://www.geoffreykingscott.co.uk/contents.html
A diagram on that page shows what a complicated junction it was and why it was a notable place.
"Trent Station had a number of features which made it almost unique among railway stations. It was built solely as an interchange, on what would now be called a greenfield site, in the south-east corner of Derbyshire. As it did not serve any local population it was named after a river, rather than after a town or village. It opened in 1862, and was described in one Midland Railway publication as "the junction for everywhere". It changed little in its 106 years of existence, and even to its last day, December 31, 1967, was lit by gas lamps, never having had electricity."
In the book the author recalls that at School - he was local - when reciting the Lord's prayer they would switch a key line to ‘Lead us not into Trent Station' - I thought that was amusing!!
Anyhow - my travel continued with a drive through the countryside to investigate a windmill at a place called Wymondham - very much a quintessential English village - old pub, old church etc - anyway - the windmill was just outside the village on rising ground - and to get there we had to cross what was obviously the long closed railway line.
If you look at this picture you can see it from the air
http://www.windmillworld.com/millid/1520.htm
- with the old railway line being the line of trees running east west across the photo - you can zoom in and see the old station (now a house) on the eastern side of the road. It still had its original platforms. On the western side of the road are some old railway workers cottages north of the line, and the roof of the large goods shed is clearly visible - this building was in very good condition - with the roof intact and its doors all in order - looked unaltered from the days of the railway - it was not clear who owned it now - and it did not look like it was used very much, if at all, as the grass around it was not trodden down by foot or vehicle.
The only sad bit was a beautiful little weigh bridge office at the entrance to what would have been the goods year from the road - lovely brick and slate construction but sadly the roof had been allowed to collapse and tree was growing up through it. The original construction was clearly very carefully built - no doubt at some expense.
The size of the goods shed must reflect the importance of the agricultural business in the area - as it is not an industrial location. You can see from the air the quite large level area that would have been the goods yard.
This station would have been one of the lines on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. This was line built to provide access from the industrial Midlands to the east of England (East Anglia - and for most of its years its main business would have been tourist traffic to the resorts on the east coast - and agricultural traffic to the Midlands from East Anglia - which is a big farming area).
The line was jointly owned - and always a backwater route I am sure as it duplicated other lines from end to end (although not on the intermediate points). This led to early risk of closure and the line was closed as long ago as 1959 so it was interesting to find these relics so unaltered. Running through predominantly rural landscape a journey on the line must have been most enjoyable back in the day (who has got the time machine key?).
Part of the line has been preserved (although not at this location I describe) and you can take a delightful steam hauled trip along 5 miles of it.
These links have interesting information. Sadly I can't find any pictures of Wymondham station on the web back in its heyday.
http://www.mandgn.co.uk/
http://www.mgncircle.org.uk/
http://www.mandgn.co.uk/museum_history.htm
Anyway - on the way home from this expedition we were passed over head by the Red Arrows - the Royal Air Force display team - doing some practice formation flying at low altitude -presumably from their air base not so far away. All in all a good expedition!
Regards
DL
Leon, I would like my favorite, Rumpsteak Café de Paris! Fries! Coffee would be perfect!
Friday!!! Friday afternoon at 5 is the best time of the week! Even more so this Friday, I am going to have five days off!! Perfect!
Tom – I know there is always snow on Mt. Mentor, but it should not be enough for a slide this time of the year! Thanks for the info on Chigneto! Have you ever been in that neighborhood and seen the remains? The link took me to an interesting site about canals and locks. I found two Swedish canals in the text, one that I have traveled myself!Now I understand why you like ExpoRail!! You found both RDCs and dome car(s)!! Interesting pictures! That museum obviously has a lot of rolling stock. Do you have an idea of in what condition most of the equipment outside was in? The Observation Dome Car doesn’t look too bad. It needs some work but...Lars – Very nice and interesting pictures from NZ! It looks like they have narrow gauge tracks. Hopefully Allan can confirm or correct me.Pete – Thanks for the info on those British steamers! I had commuter service in mind when I saw the picture of Waddon. Light locomotive for a light commuter train. Easy to go around at the end station and then travel in the opposite direction.I learned something new again! Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the James Bond books! Doug – Nice to see you again, Sir! I am taking my vitamins every day, preparing myself for some busy days in Chicago next spring! Museum in Wisconsin? Hmm, I wonder if that could be one of two I have in mind?James – Okay, I see what you mean! As far as I can tell your description was correct! Family members and books are always to good help regardless of what it is about. The simulator I have been running has hydraulic movement and that together with sound and a good screen makes it very real! The first time I was running it and had done that for about 5 minutes, I met another train (on the screen) and before I knew it I was waving to the engineer on that train. I felt kind of stupid when I realized what I was doing. Somewhere I have a picture of the simulator. I’ll try to find it and show it here.
Boone, IA.
Leon- An OJ please, and a turkey sandwich. Thanks!
Well, I see Tom asked if we ever get sleep up this way.. My answer would be yes, except I have a hard time staying up until 12:00 midnight. Believe me; I only do it for this place. I have way to much fun to quit. Of course right after, it's to bed. But I do enjoy coming around here and discussing all the neat stuff that goes on here.
Eric- Well, on page 72, it was more like a quiz question about wheels on the passenger car. So I answered it to the best of my ability. It helps when you have family members and books teach you this stuff. All neat indeed. So you have run a simulator before. It's good to hear I'm not the only one here. Most simulators today have hydraulic movement so it makes it more real. Our simulator doesn't have that but it is cool.
Tom- Thanks for the link to the Victoria Jubilee bridge. A very neat, old and long bridge.... But I'm afraid that, that bridge doesn't even scratch the one that I know. I see it every year as I go to Fargo ND, and as far as I know, it is the largest bridge in Minnesota if not in the United states. The Stock wood fill was a bridge that spanned 8 miles in length. It is now covered in dirt but the old bridge is indeed still underneath the tons of dirt.
Check this link out: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/schwert/stockwd/stockwd1.htm This shows how it was made and what has happened over the last 100 years. The Northern Pacific railway once owned this but is now under control by BNSF.
Your saying goes perfectly with what I was trying to say. I will have to remember that. Thanks. And some more nice pics form the Expo railway museum in Canada. They certainly have an extensive collection of Canadian railway history. Always good to see some older stuff preserved for generations to see.. Like me!! The RDCs looked GREAT!! I always love seeing those old cars around. Makes me glad we have one working here in Duluth. A question for you. Do they have an excursion trains With all that equipment you'd think they would have one. Thanks again.
Lars- Good to see you back with some more fine pics to share with us today. I see you looked FAR and WIDE to find these pics. I'd say you did a good job. I don't recognize any of the equipment but it is cool. The very bottom pic looks like some locos from Australia. But I'm guessing there in NZ. Anyway, good show from you, Thanks!
Pete- Well, Thanks for the history behind the Eisenhower steamer. I might need to make a trip up there this year. I should have gone deep into my mind back to my American History days <daze> because I do remember that he was a general before becoming the president. Interesting indeed.
Hmm chain links and a hook on a long stick. I'm thinking that, that had to be a dangerous job at one time. I don't know if I could rely on the hook n' stick doing the job.. but I don't know if you would have been able to reach those chains. Some interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Happy railroading
James
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