Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Ruth, haven't seen you for a long time young lady! Hope everything is fine! I know, it is a beautiful day! No, I can't stay long today but I would like a ham sandwich and coffee!
Kind of slow day here today, but that is understandable, it's Memorial Day! Doug and James! Tom and Pete are probably lost in Canada. They were last seen boarding a Budd RDC (see pictures below).
Doug – $3.50 for gas? It’s like in New Mexico. Here it is $3.03-3.10. Has actually dropped a few pennies recently. Nice pictures! For some strange reason it seems like we took very similar pictures. I have had some bad allergy attacks the last few days so I have not been able to burn the CDs yet. But one of these days...James – Thanks for the info on the Atlantic name. I think you are right, they probably had some bold plans to reach the Atlantic Ocean some time in the future. I noticed that the pantographs on the E-2 were missing when I took the picture. I don’t know why. That EMD SD45 looked brand new.
At this tiny cold town (see all the snow?) Tom and Pete were seen boarding this RDC.
Here the RDC is seen leaving the town heading no one knows where. Tom and Pete are barely visible through the far left window.
Chicago Transit Authority #44, a Rapid Transit Car for elevated/subway. Has both a third-rail and trolley pole power pickup. Built by St. Louis CarCo. 1959.
The headlights on top of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad #9908, "Silver Charger"
For James! Refrigerator Car. Ice-cooled.
UP 900081 ready to take off and help Tom and Pete out of the snow in which they probably are stuck. 3,000 hp diesel engine for the rotary plow, diesel-electric drive.
Happy Memorial Day!
Eric
G-day Tom and all present!
Ruth- Good to see you this morning. Could I get an OJ and a pastry too, Thanks!
Everything has been going quite nicely here in the Northern part of the states. It has been quite warm too. I have been taking in the warm days and enjoying it quite readily. So how about a few acknowledgements.
Eric- Sorry for not getting to your question right away. But I believe it was a merger of two railroads that gave it the Atlantic name. But I'm not so sure on that. Otherwise they may have named it that because it sounded pretty good or there intention might have been to try and get to the Atlantic ocean. I'm not completely sure. I know a person more educated on the matter so I will go and ask him when I see him this week.
Oh and that is a great looking E-2 electric. But that's not the one that I was thinking about... This one was in the orange, maroon and grey with the Hiawatha wings around the front of the loco. They must have painted it since then. But it does look nice. Glad they have preserved at least one of them. I also have another question. Where are the pantographs Also thanks for the other great looking photos. I really enjoyed going through them. Oooh, And a really nice picture of an EMD SD45. It certainly has been kept up in maintenance department and the paint job looks brand new. Does that beauty still run Oh why am I asking that. It's in great condition and I am sure it does run. Thanks for all the other great pictures.
Doug- Wow, Now that is a nice picture of the Aerotrain. It looks like you could fire it up and take it down the tracks. I am really impressed. Also, that Zephyr is a really nice condition. I see the locomotive has the EMD style E-unit trucks under it. Some pretty classic stuff there. Thanks for the pics.
Also thanks for the pic and explanation of the E-2. Now you can see why I liked these locomotives so much. They were like no other loco out there. Also thanks for the pic of the CB&Q E8A. I can't believe how they look so new. They really take there time to restore these locos to there full potential. I like to see that. Thanks again for all of the great pics. You certainly have been busy posting all of those great pictures along with those great write ups. Plus you have some pretty funny jokes too. I really enjoyed those.
I have never seen the inside of a 1940s chemical car. That was certainly interesting. That one single pipe in the car must be how they sucked the chemicals out of the car. Some pretty cool stuff at that museum. I will certainly have to visit it someday.
Happy railroading
James
Good morning Tom and gang, and hope you're all having a nice Memorial Day weekend. I'm sure everyone reading will be thinking about our vets and people currently serving in our forces today. I'll have a light breakfast please.
Yesterday was a good one at our little place by the tracks. There were a lot of pictures, and a run on the Keiths! James submitted some nice pix of a loco being repainted. Eric submitted quite a few pix too. I failed to get a shot of Collusion corner. Sure wish that gas was under $3 a gallon here. We're more like $3.50.
My 1967 EMD Erie Lackawanna picture had a familiar face in it!
One of the cars I really enjoyed at MOT was this 1940 Monsanto Chemical Company tanker, #117, built by American Car and Foundry Company. This 8,000 gallon, double hull car was designed for transportation concentrated nitric acid, which is extremely corrosive. The inner tank is constructed of aluminum alloy which is protected by a cushion of air and a steel outer shell.
You can walk through her!
Here's my picture of the SEPTA #2740
This PCC-type streetcar was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1947 for $28,500. "PCC" stands for the Electric Railway President's Conference Committee, which conducted an extensive research program between 1930 and 1935 to develop a state-of-the-art streetcar. Worldwide, some 15,000 surface and rapid transit cars have been built using the PCC design, including 300 that operated in St. Louis (trolley service ended in the city in 1967). Power is obtained from an overhead wire through a trolley pole. Philadelphia was one of the last cities to operate a large fleet of the trolley cars, which have been replaced with more modern "light rail" vehicles. Number 2740, which originally operated on 5-foot 2-½-inch wide track, was converted to standard railroad track gauge of 4 feet 8-½ inches and, between 1995 and 1997, was restored to operation at MOT. It is now painted in its original colors -- those of the Philadelphia Transportation Company, predecessor of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
I'll share my Kirkwood pix later. Eric's look pretty good!
A man walks into a bar and says, "Excuse me, I'd like a pint of beer." The bartender serves the drink and says, "That'll be four dollars." The customer pulls out a twenty-dollar bill and hands it to the bartender. "Sorry, sir," the bartender says, "but I can't accept that." The man pulls out a ten-dollar bill and the bartender rejects his money again. "What's going on here?" the man asks. Pointing to a neon sign, the bartender explains, "This is a Singles Bar."
Good evening Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, it's time for my favorite. Rumpsteak Café de Paris! To drink? I'll try a Keiths!
Quite a few pictures today! Tom and Pete still in Canada!
CM3 – Looking forward to see you next week. Have a nice Memorial Weekend!Doug – By heading in different directions at the museum I think we covered most of what they had on display! For some reason we have very similar pictures!? I like your pictures and that you added all the information about the different locomotives in them.Fergemeister – Thanks for the message from Tom and Pete! I am sure they got a well guided tour through Halifax! Looking forward to see Tom’s and Pete’s pictures from your neck of the woods! James – Thanks for the pictures from the museum! I know I asked this before, but I try again, do you know why that railroad was called Duluth South Shore & Atlantic? I can understand Duluth South Shore, but Atlantic?
I'll add some more pictures from the Rendezvous.
First a picture of the Collusion corner with the latest in gas prices.
Erie Lackawanna #3607. An EMD SD45 with a 20 cylinder 3,600 hp engine.
Kirkwood, MO.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority #2740. PCC built by St. Louis Car Company 1947.
Riding the Amtrak train in the streets of Springfield, IL.
CanAm's line through the wilderness(?)
Have a nice Memorial Weekend!
Leon- Could I get a coffee and a turkey sandwich, Thanks!!
I see many nice pics out there. Epecially from Barndad Doug and Pete, But I will drop a letter off tomorrow with acknowledgements!
So here are a couple of pics I have been wanting to show you guys.
This is the DSS&A Alco that is slowly being repainted. It coming along quite well really!
Unfortunatly it was really foggy last Wednesday so th steamer really didn't come out but atleast the numbers of the Soo Line 2719 showed up. I will still try to get a better pic of that loco.
This is our newer addition to the museum. The Little Giant can come in handy for moving things. I can't wait to get behind the wheel of this thing. It would be cool machine to operate.
A friend took these pictures since I had forgotten my camera at home. Glad he brought his.
Enjoy!
Howdy again folks, and especially Fergmiester! Thanks for the update on the boss and Pete. Glad to hear ya'll got together and had a good time in Halifax. My good time today centered around buying a screen door,l which I can now look forward to installing. But here's something better ... more pix and info from the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. Here's an interesting view:
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad Parlor-Observation Car #5998
This lightweight aluminum, round-end parlor-observation car was built by American Car & Foundry for service on the Baltimore & Ohio's Royal Blue non-articulated streamlined passenger train. From 1935 until 1937, it brought up the rear of the Washington, DC-Jersey City, NJ (New York City), train set operated initially behind B&O diesel-electric locomotive # 50 (which is also part of the MOT collection). In the early 1940s, the entire train, including #50, moved to the Alton Railroad (later the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad), where it operated as the St. Louis-Chicago Abraham Lincoln, making a daily round trip over the 284-mile route. The air-conditioned car is only 70 feet long, 10 to 15 feet shorter than later streamlined cars (later were typically 85 feet long), and at 41.6 tons, it weighs five tons less than a duplicate care made of steel. The car contains 32 individual seats, including 14 in the rear observation room, and is equipped with rest rooms. In 1984, it was moved to MOT after being privately owned for a number of years, and in early 2000, it was restored at MOT to its early-1950s appearance.
Baltimore and Ohio #50
Built by General Electric/General Motors in Erie Pennsylvania in 1935, this 1800-hp locomotive was the first non-articulated, high-speed, mainline passenger locomotive on the American railroads. Originally powering the B&O's "Royal Blue" passenger train, in 1938 it went into passenger service on the Alton Railroad powering the "Abraham Lincoln". Donated in 1958
St. Louis Refrigerator Car Co. #3600
Produced in 1904 by the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Co., this was one of the first Anheuser-Busch cars designed to transport draught beer. Although it incorporates a steel frame, it is wood-bodied and is insulated with horse hair, shredded paper, and wood shavings. Pre-cooled beer was loaded into the car whose insulation kept the A-B products cool in warm weather and from freezing in winter.
Records indicate #3600 transported 6,277,500 gallons of beer between St. Louis brewery and Texas distribution points before it was donated to MOT in April 1958. It is the oldest surviving examples of "billboard" advertising on railroad freight cars.
Illinois Terminal Railroad #1595
This Class C freight locomotive was built in the Decatur, IL., shops of the Illinois Traction System (later the Illinois Terminal Railroad). Considered one of the most successful electric "interurban" of the first half the 20th century, the Illinois Terminal operated both passenger and freight service between downtown St. Louis and central Illinois (as far as Peoria, Bloomington, and Danville), crossing the Mississippi River on the McKinley Bridge. Featuring a four-truck articulated design which permitted safe weight distribution on bridges and enabled it to negotiate tight curves on in-city streets, #1595 is 52 feet long and weighs 160,000 pounds. Its eight General Electric motors, which received 600-volt DC power through a trolley pole from overhead wires, could generate 1,500 continuous horsepower. The locomotive was donated to MOT in 1956 when the railroad ended both long0haul passenger and electrified freight service (St. Louis-Granite City, IL) continued for two more years.
St. Louis/San Francisco/Eagle Picher #1621
1918 2-10-0 Decapod type freight locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Imperia Russia which contracted with Baldwin in 1915 for some 1,200 locomotives. Twenty of these were purchased by the "Frisco" and changes were made to meet the American standards including widening the wheel tread to accommodate the 3 ½" gauge difference. Number 1621 has 52" drivers and weighs 362,000 pounds.
1893 Lake Street Elevated "Charles H" #9
The Rhode Island Locomotive Works built this 0-4-4T type locomotive (named for its designer, Matthias N. Forney) for use on a Chicago elevated line. The "T" indicates it is a tank locomotive, without a separate tender. Hundreds of Forney locomotives powered elevated trains in New York, Brooklyn, and Chicago 1878-1903. It could run equally well forward or backward, which was important as there was no way to turn it around, hauling trains up to four cars long. It is 24' long, has 44" driving wheels, 180 lbs. boiler pressure, and weighed 60,000 lbs. in working order. Its tank held 700 gallons of water, and it carried one ton of hard (anthracite) coal, which was used because it made less smoke.. It is named for Charles H. Deere, son of John Deere, second president of Deere and Company, and a director of the Lake Street line. Replaced by electric power in 1896, it went to upper Michigan lumber and chemical companies. On the Sucker River Ry., a line near Newberry, MI., it was named "Big Alice". In 1944 it went to a Texas iron and chemical firm, and in 1955 to Mexico.
One day a man was sitting in his living room watching TV when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. The man then went to the door to see who was there. When he opened the door he found a six-foot cockroach standing in front of him. The cockroach then proceeded to punch him in the face and leave. The next day the man was sitting in his living room watching TV when then the doorbell rang. The man answered the door and then again found he staring at the same cockroach that had hit him the day before. Then the cockroach kicked him in the shin and poked his eye out and then proceeded to leave. The next day the man was AGAIN sitting in his living room watching TV when the doorbell rang. And yet AGAIN the same cockroach was standing there. Then the cockroach stabbed him several times and then yet again proceeded to leave. This time the man managed to drag himself to his phone and call the police. He was taken to the nearest hospital and was kept there over night. The next day the doctor came in to talk to the man about what happened the night before." Tell me son", the doctor asked", what happened last night?" " I was attacked by a six-foot cockroach!",the man replied. " Yeah, I heard there was a "nasty bug" going around."
barndad wrote:Howdy again Tom and crew! Too early for a Keiths I suppose...
Howdy again Tom and crew! Too early for a Keiths I suppose...
Never too early for a Keith's my good man, as the sun is always above the yardarm somewhere around the Globe!!
Morning All! And yes I'll have a Keith's please and thanks. Tom and Pete just wanted me to drop in and say "That they were fine and they missed you all". Gave them the 5c tour through Halifax, NS (Included trip to LHS, of course) this morning and they are now enroute to Montreal. As always Tom had camera as did Pete so you will get to see my neck of the woods.
Any thanks for the beer!
Later Gents
Fergie
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=5959
If one could roll back the hands of time... They would be waiting for the next train into the future. A. H. Francey 1921-2007
Howdy again Tom and crew! Too early for a Keiths I suppose, but it's never too early for more pix! Let's see what the Rendezvous crew can turn up ..
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad #E-2
Generating up to 3,200 continuous horsepower, #E-2 was used primarily to pull transcontinental passenger trains (including the famed Olympian Hiawatha) between Othello and Tacoma, WA, through the Cascade Mountains. The 76-foot-long electrically powered locomotive, weighing 260 tons, is the only survivor of the five built for the Milwaukee Road in 1919 by General Electric. #E-2 used motors built around the axles, rather than geared to them as is done today. It was called a "bi-polar" design because of the two motor field magnet cores, one on each side of the motorized axles. The locomotive is jointed in three flexible sections containing the steam boiler used for heating the train's passenger cars. Water-powered generators in the mountains sent 100,000-volt AC power to substations which converted it to 3,000 volts DC; the locomotive received power from overhead wires through "pantograph" devices located at either end of the cab roof. These EP-2 class locomotives were capable of pulling 12 passenger cars at 65 miles per hour on level track (25 mph on a 2% grade), and one of them beat a steam locomotive in a widely publicized tug of war. #E-2 was displayed in Chicago at the 1933-34 World's Fair and 1948-49 Railroad Fair. The unexpected appearance of the enormous locomotive along the route between its storage facility in Deer Lake, MT, and Missouri caused a stir among Midwestern railfans in 1961 when it was moved to MOT.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad #9939A
CB&Q #9939A was delivered in January 1950 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) as a 2,250-hp E8A locomotive. It became Burlington Northern Railroad #9939 in 1970 and West Suburban (Chicago) Mass Transit District #9902 in 1973, shortly after it was rebuilt into a 2,400-hp E8Au, giving it power equivalent to later-generation E-9 locomotives manufactured by EMD. The unit has two V-12 diesel engines, in contrast to a single V-16 diesel in most freight units. The locomotive operated interchangeably in both long-haul passenger and Chicago-area commuter service on the Burlington Route, which extracted maximum mileage from its engines through such dual usage. Eventually, it was assigned solely to "push-pull" Burlington commuter service. (Push-pull trains are not turned around at destination; the engineer controls the locomotive either from its cab as it pulls the train ...or, in the other direction, from a cab in the end passenger car as the engine pushes the train.) It was then sold to the State of Maryland Transit Administration ("MARC"), operator of suburban rail service in Baltimore, MD-Washington, DC-Martinsburg, WV, region where it was renumbered 64. It was acquired by MOT in 2002, where it was repainted to its CB&Q appearance.
Reading "Black Diamond"
The "Black Diamond" is literally one of a kind -- the only surviving steam inspection locomotive. Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1889 with a 2-2-2T wheel arrangement, the ornate unit (the third successor to an inspection locomotive built in 1858) was used initially by R.C. Luther, then president of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company. It features an elegant walnut-paneled, leather-upholstered observation room in front designed to accommodate executives of the Pennsylvania-based coal carrier on short business and track inspection trips. Boys were used as firemen on the 22-foot/9-inch, 26,300-pound "Black Diamond due to the small space at the rear of the tenderless locomotive. Maximum speed of the engine was said to be approximately 60 miles per hour, and it was equipped with both a steam jam brake and a hand brake deemed necessary in case the locomotive "got loose" on one of the 4% grades over which it traveled.
Pennsylvania Railroad #4918
Incorporating a streamlined Raymond Loewy body design, 139 of these GG1 class, 2-C+C-2electric locomotives were built for the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1934 and 1943 (#4918 was built in 1942). Either General Electric or Westinghouse electrical equipment was used, and GE, Baldwin Locomotive Works, and PRR built the running gear and bodies, with all of the units essentially identical. The famed GG1s could and often did reach speeds of 100 miles per hour hauling name passenger trains along the railroad's Washington-to-New York City "Northeast Corridor." Rated at 4,620 continuous horsepower, the unit could peak at 8,500 hp for short periods of time. The 79.5-foot-long, 477,000-lb. locomotive, which collected power from overhead wires through pantographs mounted at either end of its body, was used in both passenger and freight service by the Pennsylvania Railroad and successor Penn Central. Amtrak acquired the unit in 1971 and operated it until 1986, changing its number first to 916 and then to 4916 in its final year of operation.
Baltimore & Ohio 1873
4-6-0 Ten Wheeler type locomotive, built at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Mt. Claire shops. Number 173 is a "Camelback" locomotive, which has the cab located on top of the boiler for improved visibility and to keep the locomotive as short as possible in order to go around sharp curves. The small overhanging roof located behind the boiler was used to shield the fireman from the elements. It has 50" drivers and weighs approximately 77,000 pounds in working order.
The couple was dining out when the wife noticed a familiar face at the bar. " Elliot," she said, pointing, "Do you see that man drowning bourbon at the bar?" The husband looked over and nodded. "Well", the woman continued, "he's been drinking like that for ten years, ever since I jilted him". The husband returned to his meal. "Nonsense," he said, "even that's not worth so much celebrating."
Good morning Tom and gang, and a special welcome back to Per! I'll have a light breakfast please. Nice pix from James last Wednesday. Love those Bipolar cars. Our captain posted more Rendezvous pix taken in and around the Amtrak mini-journey from St. Louis and Springfield. I'm still trying to figure out how an old man got to be wearing my clothes. Surely that can't be me! Glad ya'll liked the few pix I posted so far.
Now, let's get straight to some pix from the St. Louis Museum of Transportation, which we visited on the Rendezvous.
Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific Railroad "Aerotrain"
General Motors employed lightweight construction and low center-of-gravity concepts in two "Aerotrains" built in 1955, each comprising a futuristic locomotive and 10 cars accommodating a total of 400 passengers. The locomotive style was conceived by GM's automotive designers, but all of the GM's divisions helped design and build this relatively low-cost train, intended to be cheap to operate. The Aerotrains were tested by the New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Union Pacific railroads in regular passenger service and demonstrated to many others, but none were ordered. The Aerotrains were then sold to the Rock Island in 1958 for suburban passenger service between Chicago and Joliet, Ill., where they lasted for a decade.
The addition of the trains to the Rock Island roster contributed to the railroads "try anything" reputation which produced one of the most diverse motive power and car rosters in Class I railroading. Despite their futuristic appearance, the Aerotrains, whose coaches were basically widened bus bodies, rode poorly at high speed. This problem, together with a lack of switching flexibility for the semi-permanently coupled trains and special maintenance requirements, caused their replacement by double-deck commuter cars on April 23, 1965. On November 18, 1966, MOT received one Aerotrain power unit and two cars.
Here is a fairly typical picture from the Rendezvous. The four of us all headed in different directions with our cameras
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad #9908 "Silver Charger"
Number 9908 was the last power car produced for the Burlington in the "Shovel-nose" streamlined design of the earlier Zephyr units. Delivered by General Motors' Electro-Motive Corporation and Budd Co. in April 1939, the Silver Charger was more structurally advanced than its predecessors and was ordered for the fast General Pershing Zephyr schedule between St. Louis and Kansas City. It boasted a 1,000-hp Model 567 diesel engine, with separate baggage space located at the rear of the unit. The veteran diesel went on to outlive many of its streamlined counterparts and eventually became the last "shovel-nosed" engine in service, heading a mail-express train between St. Louis and Burlington Iowa, each night until it was retired in 1965, the year before it was placed in MOT.
Eric finds a place in the back of the museum grounds to watch the UP mainline for photo oportunities
Union Pacific Railroad #4006
Known as the "Big Boy" because of its immense size and power, this model is the world's largest successfully operated steam engine. The Union Pacific ordered 25 of the 4-8-8-4 "simple" (used steam once) articulated engines from the American Locomotive Co. to haul heavy freight trains through the Rocky Mountains between Green River (later Cheyenne), WY, and Ogden UT, #4006 was delivered in 1941. An articulated engine has a hinge or joint separating the two sets of drive wheels, enabling the locomotive to negotiate curves more easily because the front set of wheels can pivot from side to side. Weighing 600 tons (1.2 million pounds) in working condition, the Big Boy is 132 feet long, had a top speed of 80 mph, and could generate a maximum 6,900 horsepower, with theoretical capability of pulling a train five and one-half miles long. The giant locomotives continued in service until the late 1950s, and today, eight remain in existence.
That's all for now ... many more to come!
A man walks out of a bar and sees a bum panhandling on the corner. And the bum says, "Mister, can you spare a dollar?" The man thinks about the question for a bit and asks the bum, "If I give you a dollar, are you going to use it to buy liquor?" " No, says the bum." The man then asks the bum, "If I give you a dollar are you going to use it to gamble?" " No, says the bum." So the man says to the bum, "Do you mind coming home with me so I can show my wife what happens to someone who doesn't drink or gamble?"
great pics ...love the arch
what a great day
Good afternoon Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Ruth, nice to see you today! Smiling and singing! Oh, he is? Yeah, I can tell. No, I would like a ham sandwich and coffee! Thank you!
Tom and Pete are traveling in Canada and not here. Thought I would post some pictures from the Rendezvous so DL can see them. More pictures tomorrow.
A Milwaukee Road BiPolar electric locomotive at the Museum of Transport in St. Louis.
Two of the very few remaining tracks at Union Station, St Louis.
Pete is leaving the Amtrak train in Springfield,IL.
Texas Eagle arriving.
Ready to board.
Tom and Doug are checking the view.
Back in St. Louis.
St. Louis.
I'll be back with an inclusive post tomorrow.
Good Afternoon BArkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Just a quick stop today as I have been outside for the past two days. Will try and catch up next week.
Remember to take time this weekend to raise a glass in memory of absent friends.
work safe
nice pics of st. louie...i took a amtrak from st louie to california last summer...wonderful time...
well take care all
Leon, just a plain cheeseburger tonight! Coffee, thank you!
Spent a good portion of this evening reading everything posted since Tuesday last week!So I have to skip the pictures this time.
Tom – Nice to see those Toronto pictures. I guess I get kind of a different view now after the 2nd Rendezvous. A rainy day in Toronto May 12, wasn’t it? At least in the evening.My old camera is still in Enfield, CT. Waiting for parts that have been ordered (don’t know when). I am glad I have the new one. Chicago - Duluth almost 12 hours in 1956? I guess that gave people a chance to get a full night sleep. Texas Eagle (!) from St. Louis to Texas! Today it runs from Chicago.Time to visit the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre again. Tombstone is a must see! The Silver Streak and The Lady Vanishes are new to me.Your conclusion about the Rendezvous is absolutely correct, it could not have been better except for one thing! That Hooters still had been around with that same brunette I met in 1993! But I guess that was asking too much. Thanks for the pictures from the Rendezvous!! But who the heck is that old, gray haired, Swede? Where was I? BTW, it is Lenox Junction shown in your picture. I took a very similar picture of it myself where the name is visible.CM3 – Hell Gate Bridge is an impressive structure! 4 tracks but at that time (1993) only 3 were used. Thanks for the info about Paoli! Maybe I should have moved there instead of moving here? No, too much snow in the winter! We had a most excellent rendezvous and I am sure you would have liked it a lot! Seems like you had a good time on your Tennessee trip! Where is Dollywood at? I have heard about it but never checked where to find it. Pete – Amtrak’s engineers I talked to all liked the Swedish Meatball (or the Toaster). Many of the AEM-7s have been rebuilt now and are now called AEM-7AC. I think you forgot to explain your reference to ale at the rendezvous! Now, we’ll never know! I am afraid I don’t understand the first part of the London & Northwestern and Caledonian Railways poster. Does it show travel times and if so, from where? The 2nd class passengers probably had to bring their own food! James – That trail you can see in my picture is not smoke, it is the light itself that created that pattern because it was so dark that the shutter was open for a number of seconds. Since the plane I was sitting in was vibrating a little bit and I was holding the camera the camera moved a little while the shutter was open. Thanks for all the info on Soo Line! It explains some questions I had. A question though about the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, why the last part of the name, Atlantic? I can’t find any connection to the Atlantic or am I missing something? Nice pictures from your layout! Are you going to paint your Bipolar? Mike – Interesting articles about the start of Amtrak (Railpax). Some predictions were correct, some missed. Both articles are kind of negative/pessimistic. Interesting pictures, as always! Thank you!Doug – Back to the horses!?! I agree 100% with you about the Rendezvous! Now my expectations for the next year Rendezvous are very high!!Of course I had to shield my face staning in front of the ticket machine. I won two golden dollars on it and don’t want IRS to know! Did you have to tell that we were locked into our rooms? But we had a lot of fun!DL – You gave me the answer about the missing service for 2nd class passengers! There never was a 2nd class on those trains! The mystery is solved!I’ll be glad to show pictures from the Rendezvous. But it has to wait a day, I haven’t had time to fix the pix yet. Busy day today. Per – Nice meeting you, Sir! After almost 50 years of fighting snow and ice in the Old Country it was time to move to a warmer climate and Phoenix is not bad at all (from that point of view). Yes, I was on the X2000 when it visited Los Angeles. Southern Pacific sponsored the California visit. I don’t remember if the X2000 was open to the public or only invited guests when it was on display at LAUP. I hope to see your pictures if you find out where to find them! Of course they had an instruction sheet when they tried to couple the X2000 together. It was the first time they did it! After a while someone figured out they held the instruction sheet upside down and after that things went more smoothly! Please don’t tell.As I told James above, that pattern in my picture was created of the light because the camera moved while the shutter was open. No smoke at all. I took some pictures of a rocket launch from the Vandeberg when we were in Santa Barbara with the X2000 and it looks kind of the same. Nice picture from Raton, NM! I drove by there last Tuesday afternoon on my way back to Phoenix.
Leon- Instead of a coffee, I need a OJ with a turkey sandwich, Thanks!
Well I wonder how Tom and Pete's trip is going. Hope to see some pretty cool pics when they return.
Tom- Some more nice pictures you have there. I wonder what they want to do with all of those locos sitting there wasting away with time I think I know but lets hope it doesn't come to that. Also some more nice Amtrak pics. Amtrak sure keeps there Horizon Business car looking nice. Do you know what exterior of the car looks like Thanks for all the great pics.
Ya, when it comes to old Depots and stations still standing around there just aren't a lot of words to explain them. Standing in front of that Depot and inside the shed was an experience all by itself. It was really weird standing right were the Milwaukee Road trains came in and out of. It was almost like going back in time....... I could almost hear the trains in that shed....
If some of you guys could make it up here that would be great!! Unfortunately the NSSR isn't running any trains in the winter but I could certainly show you around the place. It would be great to meet some of the guys.
Doug- Some nice pictures from you sir. I can't believe the amount of passenger trains Tom has. When he expands that will be a really cool passenger railway. His layout is certainly bigger. I just need to get going on mine and get it finished up a bit more. Thanks for all the great photos.
CM3- Ya that Milwaukee Depot is a nice building. I am surprised they kept the thing even to this day and they have done such an outstanding job restoring the old building to it's former glory that it almost takes back to when it was in use for the railroad. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics but I will be going back down quite a few more times and I will be down there for railway recertification so I will be getting some pics of the station then. And a lot of pics too.
Pete- Books, point me in the right direction!! I can spend quite some time behind a railroad book and enjoy it the whole time. It's amazing what they can teach you. Without the book I wouldn't as much as I do. There is a lot of great info on trains out there, you just need to find it read it!
Along with the Duluth and Northeastern did they also mention the Duluth and Northern railway? If they did, I believe this to be the predecessor to the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range railway. The Duluth and Northeastern was after the Duluth and Northern. And then the Duluth and Iron Range came along and finally the DM&IR. I'm sure they were talking in the earlier part of the 1900s. Like 1920 or early 1930.
When it came to having the armature directly connected to the axle, it was like having an extra boost of power. There were no gears to deal with so the tractive effort came up substantially. But I'm sure you're right. It probably was harder on the track, but I don't know for sure. I will have to get researching that.
Eric- Good to see the little tavern next to the tracks. It reminds me of what this place is about. Thanks for sharing the pic.
PS - Eric - look forward to seeing some of your pics from the re-union as for whatever reason i can always see the pics you post!
DL
Hello all in
Quick pint for me - message for Tom and Pete really - but I expect you are on you way by now. Yes, pretty crazy not to put the Dome car on until so late in the season - will be interesting to hear what the rider figures are (since abscence of risders is the only logical reason I can think of not to use it).
Pete - thanks for the pub reminder - I thought it was the Blue Anchor - website is helpful - much obliged. I hope I can make it in there - the older brew pubs are very rare - of course with the micro expansions brew pubs are more common now - but it would be good to go to one with a pedigree. I must say Pubs of good quality are thick on the ground in Cornwall. One of my travelling companions is equipped with the CAMRA GBG so we will have plenty of choice.
All the best to everyone else - I'll not be in myself until next week so I'll probably miss the film screenings - The Lady Vanishes has some superb train sequences - models often and they look good for a 1930s film. Very much captures the idea of travelling across the more obscure parts of central and eastern europe during that period concerned.
Cheers
good morning all first time posting here..read alot of great info on this thread.
well just wanted to say hi from california were its gonna be nice and sunny today!
take care!
Hello Leon, nice to see you again! No, just a cup of coffee tonight. Kind of tired after all driving the last few days.
Back in the desert again after a couple of super fun days in St, Louis!! Everything is fine and I'll be back tomorrow with an inclusive post. On the way from St. Louis (read Chesterfield) I stopped at Atchison, KS, and took a few pictures of some old Santa Fe equipment. Sorry to say, but most of it was in a pretty sad condition. Pictures later.
Hi Tom and all.
A pint of Bathams please Ruth to celebrate the return of Pers.
JAMES. It seems, like myself, you have a great love of railroad books and magazines, you would have liked the library we visited on the rendezvous with books and magazines going way back.
Talking of magazines I have just received the Classic Trains ‘In Search of Steam' special in the mail, there are some steam scenes around Duluth and some photos of steam on the Duluth & Northeastern Railroad, do you know anything about this line
I am sure the DSS&A Alco RS-1 will look and sound great when the locomotive is finished.
Glad you liked the UP Nostalgia it was one I "borrowed" from Tom off the old thread.
Enjoyed the interesting post on the Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis. A great looking building. I wonder when it was first built they ever thought there would be an ice rink in the building one day, the depot would be well worth a visit today.
Many thanks for the photos of the Bi-polar and the Little Joe on your layout. I wonder if having the armature on the axles on the Bi-Polars had a bad effect on the track.
DOUG Many thanks for your first set of photos from the rendezvous. Loved the comments with each pic. I wonder why I was trying to smuggle a soccer ball on to the Metro under my shirt.
CM3 I well know about the railway book-collecting curse, as when we had to clear the house. It is a marvelous thing to do to leave all those old and some copies of no doubt valuable books and magazines for the enjoyment of others with an affection of railroads.
As to collecting railwayana I wish I had bought some of the diesel locomotive nameplates that were on sale soon after the locos were withdrawn from service in the 1970s. They were not too expensive then but are going for a fortune nowadays. Some steam loco nameplates are costing now more than the locos cost to build.
That does sound an interesting book on the gentleman's railroad career.
Back PERS. I do hope you can go from being a member of the "Legion of the Lost" to becoming a Regular at the bar again.
Many thanks for the interesting post and links. I particularly enjoyed the Feather River Express and the model ones.
Glad you got your photo to post and, by your message to DL, you like good old English beer.
DL Many thanks for you best wishes to Tom and I on our Canadian adventure, we will be sure to post some details and photos from our trip.
I tried the link to London Road Station but it said it was temporary unavailable but the one to the Penzance sleeper worked fine. I had to smile when the chap made comment on the lady burping as it reminded me of how sound does travel from one berth to the next in the MKIII sleepers.
No doubt you will have a great time in Cornwall, it is a great place. The pub at Helston is the Blue Anchor, the weakest ale they sell is around 5% I believe and in the 1970s it was only one of 6 home brew pubs left in England. A bus runs to Helston from Penzance bus station, which is very close to the rail station. I have found a link to the pub.
http://www.spingoales.com/
TOM. Good to talk to you today.
Many thanks for the photos from the rendezvous. I wonder if anyone has any information on those diesels that we saw from the train. No wonder the approach to Springfield depot is so slow with all those grade crossings. That is a great photo of the arch at St Louis taken from the Texas eagle with the sun going down
Thanks for the info on the St Louis mural and building. I had not realized it was done as recently as 1986. It is a great piece of artwork. 'Fenestration'.
Enjoyed reading your description of the regulars for Pers, as you say a good day at the bar.
I shall enjoy those films at the Emporium when we return from Canada,
G'day Gents!
This is "it" - final Post 'til Pete 'n I return from Canada . . .
Just read through today's offerings and I must say it's been a good day! Really enjoyed those captions from Doug - the continuing insights from Shane - the return of Pers and the fine offering from DL. Surely wish we could help our Brit-Euro connection out to enable him to view the Pix . . .
Just noticed that James popped in! Great post and thanx for keeping up the Wednesday OPTIONAL Toy 'n Model Trains Day here at the Bar by the Ballast! Some super fine shots and narrative. Maybe we should think about a Rendezvous in Duluth so we could all take in your model railroad!! How about mid-winter?? Eric would love it! <grin>
Thanx for picking up on my request . . .
DL: Comments on the Renaissance "logged" and appreciated! A friend of mine just sent me some Pix of her trip to Halifax and she detests the equipment. Figures, as she's been "spoiled" by the Budd cars for several years on that route. Anyway, she commented that the VIA Rail crew was rather disgruntled at the complaints the passengers were making about "no dome" and "no this or that" - the conductor told her that VIA made the biggest mistake ever in purchasing those cars. Yeah well, no one asked me! <groan> When she traveled to Halifax last year in early May, they had the Park Car on the line, however this year - for whatever the reason - they've decided not to add it until June 1st. Crazy, eh Youbetcha! The charm of that route has always been the scenery through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as viewed from the dome - not cramped into a Euro bedroom with seats facing backwards in every other configuration. <yikes>
Depending on when you're planning to return to Toronto, I may be able to travel up that way. Perhaps if the timing works out, we can meet up with Rob in Toronto for a "tour" of the Halton County Radial Museum - but first we've got to "find" Rob (again)!! Drop me an Email when you have time and we can discuss things further . . .
Pers - I got through all of your material and repeat once again - many thanx for dropping by. Hope you'll be able to resume your activities with us when time permits. We may be small in number, but we do enjoy this place!
A trip from Boston to Fullerton, CA!! Only an aficionado for and of passenger rail travel would willingly put up with THAT these days <daze> especially with Amtrak. Glad you found more to enjoy than not . . .
Santa Ana was the site for the 1953 BSA Jamboree and 50 thousand scouts attended. We swam at Newport Beach and there's so much for. A trip that a 15 year old (me) will never, ever forget. Three weeks from New York City and return - quite the rail adventure along with visiting all the locations I mentioned a few pages ago - wonderful fun, fer sure, fer sure! The whole trip cost $300 - can you imagine THAT?!?! Rail fare - food - Jamboree - tours - everything. Ahhhhh, the good old days <daze>!
Those 'spring classes' did attract some attention from the gals - Names are being withheld to protect the "significant others"!! <grin>
For Pix Posting - check out www.photobucket.com they are a very user-friendly site and the price is right! FREE . . . Looking forward to your Pix!
And some more 2nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis fotos:
Friday - May 18, 2007 (Tom's B'day!) - continued:
The boyz in the Superliner Coach - southbound to St. Louis
The boyz in the Superliner Sightseer Lounge car - southbound to St. Louis
Trackside stuff from the southbound Texas Eagle
Scores of locos (again) from the southbound Texas Eagle
And some more locos
Making the turn to cross the Mississippi from Illinois
Look familiar?
Texas Eagle at St. Louis
Texas Eagle Sightseer Lounge car at St. Louis
Birthday gifts!
More next week . . .
Tom
Ruth- Hello, glad to see you on this fine afternoon. Could I get a coffee and a turkey sandwich, Thanks.
Tom- small note: No problem. We will keep the other thread trucking along!
I see we have someone coming back to "Our place." A new face for me, fer sure. Nice to meet Per. I see you are doing a nice job painting and building that UP passenger train for yourself. Thanks for the website also. I really enjoyed looking at your consist. I model the Milwaukee Roads' electric Rocky Mountain Division in 1969. But when it comes to the passenger trains I tend to be all over, starting with the first streamlined Hiawathas in 1928 up until the agreement with the UP and the Milwaukee in 1955. One of my biggest passions are the Passenger Hiawathas, Frieght comes close in behind.
I will have more acknowledgements later today yet, just came in to meet our new friend and drop off some pics.
This is my Milwaukee Bipolar. Now I know there aren't any cantenary (I think that's how you spell that) wires up yet, I am still in the planning and building stage at this moment.
Now the reason these locomotives are called Bipolars is because, The 12 traction motors these locomotives had, had only to field poles which was a remarkable thing at the time plus the armature was directly mounted on the axles of the wheels giving it the name "Gearless Bipolar." Each GE traction motor was capable of putting out 367 horsepower and could easily tow 2 of the milwaukee roads 2-6-6-2s around with both in full throttle. These locomotives were made for passenger service only, with the steam generator located in the middle section.
Pic from: http://www.wikipedia.org/
After watching and wondering why the bipolar was sitting there for that short time, This light power consist comes down the hill and around the corner.
This is a Milwaukee road Little Joe, or a "Joe' for short. This was the Milwaukee's frieght hauling brute. This loco had 8 traction motors and was capable of puttong out 5500 HP. These would be on almost all trains going throught the Rocky mountain division. The locomotive had a starting tractive effort just over 120,000 pounds and could hold a continuous tractive effort of 60,000 pounds.
Good to see Shane - DL 'n Per today . . . sorry, but really no time to get into any serious chat . . .
Have a special request for James - watch out for "my other Thread" while Pete 'n I are gone - okay?? Thanx!
Thought I'd provide the movies for next week, though - prepared 'em weeks ago!
Starting Sunday at the Mentor Village Emporium Theatre!
. . . May 27th thru June 2nd: The Silver Streak (1934) Starring: Sally Blane, Charles Starrett, Hardie Albright, William Farnum & Irving Pichel - and - The Lady Vanishes (1938) Starring: Emile Boreo, Mary Clare, Selma Vaz Dias &Catherine Lacey. SHORT: The Three Stooges - So Long, Mr. Chumps (1941).
The Silver Streak (1934)
PLOT SUMMARY:
Beyond the fact that both films shared a "railroad" background, RKO Radio's 1934 actioner Silver Streak bore no relation to the 1974 Gene Wilder vehicle of the same name. The earlier film stars Charles Starrett as Tom Caldwell, the dynamic young designer of a streamlined, high-speed passenger train. During a polio epidemic, our hero endeavors to prove the efficiency of his train by making a breakneck 2000-mile trip to deliver iron lungs to the Boulder Dam region. The well-chosen supporting cast includes William Farnum as old-time railroad man B. J. Dexter, who in the film's most moving scene ruminates over the brief but colorful history of his chosen profession. The real-life Burlington Zephyr "plays" the titular train in Silver Streak, which earned a much-needed $107,000 profit for RKO.
from: amazon.com
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Lady Vanishes, Alfred Hitchcock's comedy-thriller, came at the end of his British period; this film's success brought Hitchcock to the attention of Hollywood. He would complete only one other British production, Jamaica Inn, before crossing the Atlantic to working for David O. Selznick on Rebecca. The film concerns the young Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), heading home on a train after spending the holidays in the Balkans. Iris becomes friends with a kindly old lady, Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) after Iris gets hit in the head with a flowerpot meant for Miss Froy. On the train, recovering from the blow, Iris falls asleep. When she awakens, Miss Froy has vanished, replaced by someone else in Miss Froy's clothing. Iris talks to the other passengers, a bizarre collection of eccentrics who think that Iris is crazy for insisting on there even being a Miss Froy -- everyone denies having ever seen the old woman. Finally, Iris finds a young musician, Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), who believes her and the two proceed to search the train for clues to Miss Froy's disappearance.
From: amazon.com
SHORT: So Long, Mr. Chumps (1941)PLOT SUMMARY: Featuring Moe, Larry & Curly
The boys get thrown into prison, in the hopes of finding convict #41144, whom they believe to be "an honest man." Upon finding their man, they attempt to break out of prison by painting the prison uniforms to look like guard uniforms, expect they FORGET to paint the BACKS of the prison uniforms.
from: threestooges.net
Enjoy! Tom
A few more 2nd Annual "Our" Place Classic Trains Rendezvous in St. Louis fotos:
Amtrak's Lincoln Service in Springfield, Illinois - Capitol building in background
Lincoln Service departing for Chicago
Illinois Capitol building
Land of Lincoln
Tracks right in the heart of town
Southbound Texas Eagle arriving
More later . . .
SPECIAL MENTION!
Welcome back marthastrainyard Per!! While it has been a long time, your Posts have come at a time when this cyber bar 'n grill is at a rather lo-point in attendance. Spring-summer travels and so forth. <groan>
You surely may join us at the bar and allow me to provide your drinks 'n lunch for the day! Boris, ring the bell in that "special" gong sound - something Per will take with him for hours on end when he leaves! <grin> <uh oh>
You surely took some time in gathering data for your responses and that is MOST APPRECIATED by the barkeep 'n a few others 'round this joint. Let me see if I can give you a quick rundown on who's left at this Saloon by the Siding:
Pete (Wolfman) is our Bar Chandler who came to Jefferson City, MO from Rugby, UK - he's one of a few who really supports this place through his Posts and purchases! <grin> . . . Eric (Resident Desert Swede) is our nocturnal custome out in Phoenix and is en route home from the Rendezvous and other places - he'll surely enjoy meeting you! . . . Doug (barndad - barn weevil) is supposed to be our Assistant Manager, but he's been "horsing around" and isn't in control of his schedule these days (daze) - he's in upper Illinois, near Wisconsin . . . CM3 Shane (coalminer3) is our WVA connection and resident oracle when it comes to all things railroad. He pretty much supports this place with quarters for our juke box (Herr Wurlitzer) and rounds for the gang . . . James (CMSTPP) is our Duluth connection and a railroad fanatic in all regards - he's very much "into" the Milwaukee Road and has more RR knowledge packed into his 19 years than most men have twice his age . . . Mike (wanswheel) is our ResidentURLMeisterMonster, appearing perhaps weekly - has little to say, but lots to offer through his links . . . Rob (trolleyboy) is our Ontario connection and Chief Chef who has been away from the bar more than at it. He's currently MIA once again, which really is sad, considering how much we used to depend upon him here. He'll most likely show up in a week or three . . . DL in the UK is our Euro connection and gives Pete a "Mate" when it comes to all things Brit (trains 'n brew, of course!) . . . Lars (LoveDomes) has more going on for him lately than these Pages can chronicle. Let's just say that our Manager is on a leave of absence, as they've purchased a "get-away-home" in the Keys, are currently in California and will be returning to Staten Island, NY in a couple of weeks . . . BK (BudKarr) is our Alberta connection but I doubt we'll be hearing from him any time soon. Very serious illness that has overtaken his bride of about 1 year . . . that pretty much covers who is left, although we have seen Dave (West Coast S) in his Posts from Iraq. I believe his tour ends this month, so we're in hopes that he'll return home safely and resume his activities with us.
You mentioned a guy that was never "one of us" - we've had all sorts of those kinds of visitors. They've been welcomed, but of course never read what has been offered, or if they have, we'd never know it. The "hit 'n run" stuff just doesn't get it 'round here - no matter who from. So some things haven't changed a bit!
Sorry to cut this short, but I'm at a "break" before getting back to attending to matters before Pete 'n I depart for our Canadian rail adventure. The bride and Juneau are beckoning . . .
Very happy to have you back with us and I'm sure the guys will be too!
Hello Tom
Good luck on your travels with Pete - but more of that later - I'll have a pint of bitter please, maybe a snack too if there is anything in stock.
Yes, I did see the rendezvous stuff (think I mentioned what a good itinerary it was) unfortunately can't view the pics with my browser, but the captions look good (esp Doug's witty captions - without the pictures it leaves more to the imagination - like they say with radio - the pictures are better than on the TV!)
Yes, will almost certainly have to go to Toronto later in the year - for house clearance purposes - that is why I'd like to plan a trip on Ontario Northland if I could - looks interesting - but probably a 3 or 4 day excursion. Toronto link up - maybe its an option. I'd also like to get to the warplane museum and the Halton County street car museum.
I've had a chance to review the recent material - but if you take a break you notice a fair amount go stuff gets posted here - I note the new 3 day per week regime - looks OK to me!
Anyway - I very much look forward to a trip report from you and Pete in Eastern Canada - you've got a great itinerary worked out and I look forward esp. to Pete's opinions on the UK built cars and also thoughts on the Budds on the Gaspe trip (supposed to be great scenery on that run). By the way - if you are in a deluxe cabin on a Ren car take something to wrap around the shower pipe to stop it slapping against he wall at night with the motion of the train - maybe some elastic bands to tie a towel on would do the trick and muffle it. Oh, and use the ‘heads' before using the shower! Tom will be well aware of this already and probably mentioned it anyway!
James - some nice history stuff - very informative - I too enjoyed the Milwaukee Road Depot
CM 3 Thanks for that acknowledgment - yes back on terra firma here as they say.
Pete: Yes, you can get ‘Trains' at Derby Station WHS store. Rugby steam shed in 1897 - that would be an interesting article!
Scroll down these pages and there are some pics of London Road High Level Station in recent years (some other interesting pics too)
http://www.leytransport.i12.com/nott.htm
So now some contributions from Per - am I right in thinking you might be one of the ‘legion of the lost' before I encountered this forum? If so good to make your acquaintance. That Swedish price structure seems to be the way advance booking is going in the UK - causes confusion amongst the passengers who don't seem to be able to get their heads round it - even though they can work it out if they are going by plane.....
Well, Tom and Pete - enjoy your travels. Same day you're off I'm heading for Cornwall in the south west for a few days. I'm booked on the ‘Night Riviera' sleeping car train from London to Penzance (and back). Pete - you will be able to compare the channel tunnel stock with the BR Mark 3 sleeper - its predecessor for UK overnight travel.
Here's an article about this journey - the threat mentioned in here has been lifted since this was written (at least for now...)
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2005/jun/19/cornwall.railtravel.unitedkingdom
Cheerio
PS - Pete - what was that pub in Cornwall you mentioned a while back was it in Helston?
Good Day again Tom and everyone present,
Ruth, drinks for all present, please, and a pint of your best dark ale for me.
My test posting didn't go so well. Aw shucks! And I even read the instruction on how to post pictures. Hopefully someone can teach me so I can share a few of the pictures I have found.
I'm glad to see so many familiar faces from yesteryear. Tom, of course, I hope you will let me back in after this long absence. Al, CM3 (Shane, isn't it?), Doug - nice to see you again, Lars, Mike, Pete and Rob. Then I see a few newcomers: James - a fellow model railroader if I understand it correctly, DL - from "over there" nice to meet a fellow who understands real beer (sorry you other guys), Eric - a fellow Swede and an X2 driver at that - Wow!, and underworld - I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. You have all been very busy and your keyboards must be close to be worn out by now.
My work took a very busy turn and there just wasn't enough time in the day to try to catch up with what all of you wrote, and without that it wasn't much reason to try to keep a presence. I have changed assignment and I think things will be a little bit easier around here now. And besides, I will retire at the end of the year and move back home to California (Orange County) and just take it easy with house, garden, model railroading, and whatever the missus will have on the "honey dew" list (I'm sure that list will be long).
I traveled a bit; rode the X2000 a couple of times, twice with my son who was very impressed, especially with the "cushy seats" - we rode first class and even if the new seats aren't as comfortable as the old, they are still a whole lot better than a coach seat on an airplane across the Atlantic! The Swedish Railroad has a pricing policy that makes the US airlines look like they have a standard price list. It seems that each departure of each train has a flexible price structure and the fare changes almost daily up until the departure. "Just Nu" (right now) is what they call it. And with that price structure, the first class seats many times sell for less than coach if you time it right.
And a couple of weeks ago I accompanied my daughter home from college on the Southwest Chief (and the Lakeshore Limited) from Boston to Fullerton. What a trip! It was both good and bad, but mostly very, very good. We got stuck for hours somewhere east of Chicago waiting for 7 or 8 freight trains to pass, and then there was this track! I still wonder how the couplers managed to hold the cars together with that much vertical movement, but they did. It was difficult to take a shower, though; what a riot! Both of us were glues to the window as we rode across Colorado and New Mexico. We both praised the invention of the digital camera as we would have gone broke on film alone during that time! We came home just in time for the Fullerton Railroad Days. Once I get the pictures sorted out, and I have figured out how to post them (and where to store them -Flickr, here I come!), I will post some.
Now to some comments about what I read during the last couple of weeks from all y'all.
Tom, I saw you had been at the 1953 Jamboree in Santa Ana. I have heard a great deal about that, even though it was years before I came over here. In 1953 I was probably a Cub Scout in Sweden and had no idea what a Jamboree was. But that Jamboree is made immortal in that there is a road named after it. It goes all the way from the beach area (nowadays Newport Beach - I believe) where the Jamboree was held up north to Tustin. At the north end of the road is the scout house of the troop my son used to belong to. And it passes just a couple of blocks from my house in Tustin. How's that for a small world?
Did you have many women signing up for the Spring classes? I saw a couple of classes that ought to have been "sold out", I hope they were.
You posted some posters by Santa Fe; the Chief posters reminded me of some signs that are still along the route. I will find the one I managed to get a picture of and try to post it. I also saw your UP drumheads. Eric says you dislike UP, I wonder why?
All this talking about UP leads me to James. You are a modeler, what are your favorite areas? I am trying to put together the UP City of Los Angeles from 1950. I have finally found all 13 cars, but most of them need painting. I have put all of it on my website; take a look if you like. There is a lot of Ambroid information in there as well; if you are interested in craftsman kits for MR cars, that's the place to go.
http://home.att.net/~pers_home/
You are so right about books. If it hadn't been for my ability to read I would have been a wealthy man. They way things are now, I buy too many books, mostly railroad books.
And Doug, you had a nice picture from the Orange Empire Museum (and so did Eric, by the way, but I don't think he told us where it was from). The OERM will be much closer once I move back home to Tustin (and can leave this hot place called Dallas), so I will most definitely visit there again and take some pictures. It has been about 15 years since I was there last. One of their conductors taught my son to add and subtract by just using pebbles. It worked!
Eric, a fellow Swede. Nice to meet you. I guess you took the "move to a warmer climate" to the extreme when you moved to Phoenix. I settled for Southern California, but I wonder if you didn't pick the better place. If you were on the X2000 when it visited Los Angeles, I must have seen you, at least through the window when you drove that "thing" back over the Beaumont Pass (at least that's where I think it went) - or was it Cajon? We never managed to get a peek inside when you were at the LAUPT. Again, I have pictures, but who knows where right now?
The sleeper you posted in Amtrak colors was an ex-UP sleeper, the Pacific Patrol, built by Budd in 1950 as part of a 50-car order. This car was put in service on 3/30 that year. It was one of the 25 that were delivered in the two-tone-gray color scheme, whereas the other 25 were delivered in the more traditional Armor Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray that soon afterward became the standard for all UP streamliners. One of its sister cars is part of "my train". Your car was later converted to a Crew Dorm/Lounge car, number 2910. Ain't Google great? I'm not going to put the picture here because it isn't mine, but here's a link:
http://www.trainweb.org/amtrakpix/locoshots/heritage106/2510A.jpg
I giggled when I saw your picture of the guys trying to couple the X2000 together. I think they had an "IKEA style" instruction sheet and were just discussing where to strike the hammer to make it all fit, right? Aw, come on, you can tell us!
The strange pattern in the sky over the Atlantic reminded me of something similar I saw after a rocket launch from the Vandenberg. Once the rocket gets up high enough you see those trails moving around because of the wind currents.
I also managed to see an FL-9 once. I was on a trip up along the Hudson river to Poughkep... (ah, you know, the place where IBM is, and only a local can spell). I decided to find the station in town and just as I got out of the car (with camera in hand) I heard a train approaching. What was in the lead, if not an FL-9 in the classic NH colors!
The picture I tried in my little test post, didn't work. Let's try it again; I didn't know that Western Pacific and Amtrak had a "codeshare" going on so I was surprised to see this up front of our train:
Amtrak Genesis 146 at Raton, NM, 4/30/2007
I later found out that this engine had pulled a WP Special, not only once, but twice. The WP sticker was supposedly put there during the Feather River Express (http://www.trainweb.org/chris/fex.html) on 4/1/2002. The sticker is in an amazing condition for being up front for 5 years, but maybe Amtrak doesn't wash their engines that often? Or, maybe it got a new sticker when it pulled the Reno Zephyr (http://rlehmer.50megs.com/photos/passenger) on 4/15/2004?
I just read about your Rendezvous. It must have been a great get-together. I was impressed to see the agenda, there was a lot to see and do. The breakfast spread at Tom's house must have been delicious. I didn't know you a re a passenger train modeler as well, Tom. You line-up of trains is truly impressive!
Enough for one day! I will try to keep this up on, at least, a weekly basis, unless of course, you tell Boris to stop me in the door.
Per
Good Day Tom and everyone present,
Ruth, coffee and baked goods for all present, please.
A long lost member of your group is finally back. I walked past the bar a couple of times, but I wasn't sure if I would dare come in. I peeked through the windows at the old place, but it is awfully dark and gloomy over there, the light doesn't seem to have been on for a long while. So I sat down in your library and studied what y'all (I'm in Texas after all) have been up to this year and I must say you have been busy. What a treasure trove of information you have amassed in 5 short months!
But before I go in to too much detail, please let me try this post to see how much I have forgotten about posting. Memory is the second thing that you lose with age, isn't it?
Let's try a picture also; I didn't know that Western Pacific and Amtrak had a "code share" going on so I was surprised to see this up front of the Southwest Chief (more on that later):
Raton, NM, 4/30/2007
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Have been enjoying the pictures of the rendezvous - I can see why the escort was required. OSP's other presents? Can't wait to see the pictures in Police Gazette, or wil they run in Popular Mechanics - enquiring minds want to know.
Barndad and OSP sent more pictures of the boy's "Day Out." New Busch Stadium looks nice from the outside. Now if we could put a baseball team on the inside. Seriously, they are facing what my boys did last year - injuries and no pitching to bring up to fill the gaps. I watched them play the Pirates last night as we get the Pittsburgh feed here on the cable - Cards basically looked like they were done.
Only trains at Union Station? Barkeep, three fingers of the good stuff - it's enough to make you weep.
Pete - As with many of us who follow things rail, JB was a collector. It's a curse, believe me! Anyway, he was in a position to obtain material and did so from his earliest days in the business. The important thing to remember is that not that many people collected rr-related material back years ago. Thus it was possible to get items w/o going bankrupt. He was a voracious reader (another curse!) with a keen sense of history and his library followed him from place to place and forms the nucleus of the collection you visited. It was a bequest. Richard Saunders's book, Merging Lines: America's Railroads, 1900-1970 has a good summary of his career and helps to set JB's idea of "super railroads" in a larger national context. See, now you have something else to read. BTW, it's an excellent book.
James - Sounds as though you have the collector's gene as well - I am so sorry for you! I enjoyed the pictures of the old MILW station in Minneapolis. I agree with OSP's note: a classic sign on the tower for certain. At least the structure was saved.
Almost forgot (in line with my never-ending Captains of Industry posts) - The May, 2007 RMC has a fine article on open deck bridges replete (how do like that one, Boris?) with pictures, diagrams and lotsa numbers I call OSP's attention to p. 95 with a 1932-era Erie motor car - study that picture for awhile, Tom - the details are incredible. So again, something else for the packrats to add to the pile.
Work safe
<from my personal collection>
Wednesday's Witticism!
If it takes liquor to build your courage, you may have to prove it.
Mid-week and one day removed from the start of a Canadian rail adventure with Pete. So, there will be an absence of these kinda Posts ‘til we return . . . . It's up to those who give a Rat's Patoot to keep things movin' forward ‘round here!!
Wednesday and time for a mugga Joe, pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery and of course a <light> or <traditional> breakfast from our Menu Board!
Customer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (since my last narrative on Monday):
CM3 Shane at 8:49 AM Tuesday: What a treat it would've been had you visited the Barriger RR library, especially since you've had personal contact with "the man."
Thanx for the heads up on the refrigerator cars and C&O get together in WVA . . .
Quarters ‘n round always appreciated!
Pete at 5:11 PM Tuesday: The return of Stealthy Pete, Wolfman ‘n "Our" Place Bar Chandler supreme! This Thread would be hurting without your inclusive, informative ‘n interesting Posts!
I'm flattered by your choice to use my Posts for Encore! submissions!
Here's something for the guys on the mural we saw from MetroLink:
The former Edison Brothers Stores warehouse at 14th and Spruce -- originally opened in 1929 as the J.C. Penney western states distribution center and later donated to the University of Missouri -- is covered on three sides by murals that look like real statuary and fenestration. In reality, this is a simple box warehouse adjacent to I-64. The murals were commissioned by Edison Brothers and painted by muralist Richard Haas and his team in 1985-6. The building now houses condominiums developed by Donald Breckenridge, and the Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites.
Certainly looking forward to our Canadian rail adventure . . . heard from Fergie last night and he'll meet us in Halifax on Saturday morning!
James at 6:00 PM ‘n 6:10 PM Tuesday: Railroad stations, terminals ‘n depots are special places that surely deserve special mention when it comes to Classic Trains. When Pete ‘n I travel to Montreal, we'll be treated to the experience of a continuing active rail station right in the heart of the city. Always enjoy that place, which was featured over on the original Thread a couple of times . . .
Enjoyed your Old Milwaukee Road Depot article - something to learn and enjoy ‘round here while having fun. Interesting signs on the tower for the Milwaukee Road - Rock Island ‘n Soo Line. Surely don't see things like these days (daze)! <groan>
Doug at 9:56 PM Tuesday: The return of the barn weevil with some Rendezvous Pix! Of course the hotel management wanted mug shots, consider the clientele, eh We don't mess around in this community! <grin> Enjoyed the ‘captions' . . .
I like the new avatar, by the by!
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 5 PM so come early ‘n often!
Cindy is now our Saturday bartender!
Boris, serve ‘em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
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