Hi Tom and all.
Well RUTH lets hope we can keep the bar up to the standards while TOM is away. OK LEON you are ‘Jimmy the One' for the next few days. What's that BORIS they have delivered two cars of Keith's instead of two kegs, I did notice the two CN boxcars, not too worry we will have a Keith's promotion.
ALLAN Real glad Tom was able to help you and you are able to visit the bar again.
I have been thinking about the tailboards on the named trains, the ones I saw were mainly on the ex LMS line through Rugby,only some I can recall. It is a subject that would make a great magazine article, as I cannot recall reading anything about the tailboards, I suppose there was not many photos taken of them. At the start of a journey the tailboard at a terminal station would have covered by the engine that had brought in the coaches in.
YES I seem to recall seeing a photo of an 8F with NE on the tender.8Fs was also built at Doncaster and Darlington works of the LNER. I have found a book that says that the 8Fs on in LNER service were numbered 8500-8559 and were classified LNER class O-6. The 8Fs were sent to the LMS beginning late 1946, as the LNER was getting the WD Austerity 2-8-0s on loan. Despite this it was still the last locos to work steam in the North East in 1967 was the NE 1906 designed J27s
Thanks for the link to Hawke's Bay, it looks a beautiful place, and the place name is longer than that place in North Wales.
ERIC Take it easy with the rehab for the 186 bike ride, the bride took part in the Missouri 150 ride once. I have done a 186-bike ride but it took 60 days, back and to work, it was my form of transport in England.
Many thanks for the great photos. The Pacific Electric ‘Blimp' looks great and the colors seem to really suit the car. I wonder how many passengers the car could carry; it looks a high capacity car.
Thanks for the info on the siding at Stockholm.
The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is in Balboa Park. The San Diego Zoo is at one end of the park.
http://www.balboapark.org/
Glad you enjoyed the photos and thanks for the info on #2030, the loco looked in great condition, although I wonder why it was not left in Army colors.
MIKE Many thanks for the great post on the new London to Paris route, I knew it was due to start soon but did not realize it was this Wednesday. If the can keep the fares down a time of 2 hours 15 minutes to Paris must surely take a lot of passengers away from the airlines.
To think St Pancras was that close to demolition, I think that did change the attitude to Historic buildings In Britain, with the loss of the Doric Arch outside Euston station a few years earlier kick starting the effort. In a recent British Transport Films DVD I obtained recently there is a short film featuring Sir John Betjeman traveling in a diesel unit in East Anglia in the late 1950s. There was a class 86 electric locomotive named after him.
I believe the high Speed Line is going to be used for fast commuter trains from Kent as well.
TOM With me and JAN running the menu be prepared for ‘Tatty Scones' with black and white pudding for breakfast with plenty of Baked Beans of course, but perhaps not. I have noticed it is only the small dipper that as been left.
Loved the WWFTS list the bike chain one brought back memories, you could tell a posh bicycle, it still had a chain guard on. A couple more.
Using a block and tackle to lift something.
Shimming a cotter pin on a bike.
That terrible pain when a bicycle gear slipped.
Not seeing a surprised look on someone's face when you say, "Please or Thank you" to them.
I'm afraid even with an instruction book the cameras are too clever for me.
I guess we are still lucky there is still a train that follows the Zephyr route. I keep saying I am going to ride the Empire Builder out the Coast starlight down the west coast and back by the California Zephyr. Whether I get round to it is another matter.<
Good afternoon Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. Cold here today but it stopped snowing earlier this morning.
Pete stopped by with pictures and commentray. I have made several trips on the Empire Builder. The Zephyr was on an interesting route back wehn I rode it. Burlington from Chicago to Denver. UP Denver to Cheyenne; UP Cheyenne to Ogden and then SP the rest of the way. Train crew was more than tolerant (this was a looong time ago) of my riding with the top half of the door open up and over Sherman Hill - a fine trip that I remember like it was yesterday. By all means, ride the Builder as soon as you can - you will enjoy the trip, especially on the west end around Glacier
Allan visited with some fine reading material.
Eric - Lovely shot of the blimp car - I also liked the tank car in the background.
Trondheim trams were a nice touch as well.
Mike visited! Good to hear from you!
We only had one possible answer to our "orphan" CP diesel quiz (based on Fergie's picture of his 4-8-4) I was surprised. Orphan diesels on the CP were a pair of E8s. Yes, Boris, we'll bring pictures of them, too.
OSP visited. Good moom' pichers at the Theatuh. I liked the original Flight of the Phoenix real well. Have not seen the remake. Runaway Train is a bit over the top, but it does have nice scenery and a halfway decent story line.
As for the stooges, one of my all-time favorites.
Also thanks for the great CZ material.
Speaking of snow, I took the K9 Korps to Kamp for the Thanksgiving holiday. He rode all the way over on the Interstate, hanging out the window - kind of looked like the dog in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" if you remember that scene. I swear he was smiling - he's like Juneau, waits all year for the cold weather.
In honor of Thanksgiving, here's an encore of something I posted a long time ago on the old site. It's part of a series of sketches of branch line life on the Boston and Maine Back in the day.
Schenectady's Last Stand
The branch was different in the fall and the winter as frost and early snow combined to smash down the summer's vegetation and leave it yellowed and withered. The crickets were gone and silence and cold replaced the noise of birds and summer wind.
It's a cold and gray November day a little before Thanksgiving, the air damp and smelling of rain and maybe sleet, and I'm out walking the branch again. I hear the sound of a diesel horn blowing for the crossing. This sound is deeper and more melodious than the usual EMD horn. An Alco for sure, but the question is what kind? Well, we'll find out pretty soon. I can see maroon and gold paint; a little closer and it turns out to be a battered RS3.
The Boston and Maine over the years had bought several kinds of Alco switchers, among them a number of RS3s. They had arrived painted in maroon and gold with the Concord Minuteman herald. Some of them were repainted blue and white, but a few had managed to keep their original colors. As an engineer told me once, "You can't kill ‘em. They'll run until they fall apart." Whatever their paint or condition, they're living on borrowed time.
So here it was with a handful of cars and a blue and white caboose. They had set out and picked up some orange PFE refrigerator cars down the road and now here getting ready to set out a car at the lumber yard. The weather was turning colder, now and fog was coming up off the meadow. I took a couple of black and white pictures and then hunkered down into my coat trying to keep warm. The engineer cracked the cab window and yelled down, "What the hell are you doing down there? Come up and ride with us where it's warm." Up the steps I go, hanging onto the rails. Then down the short hood, open the door, and step into the engine cab. The interior is painted a light green. It's dirty and reeks of diesel smoke and oil, but he's right, it is warmer and out of the wind. "We're gonna leave the train here, and go up the road first to get some cars and then come back and drop this car," the engineer says. I fish in my pocket and hand him a cigar - coin of the realm and the price for my ride. I'll pass out more to the rest of the crew when I see them. The brakeman joins us having cut off the engine from the rest of the train. He gets a cigar too.
The engineer kicks off the air and opens the throttle. Nothing happens for a bit and then we start to move. The engine shudders and then digs in making the characteristic Alco "chompa-chompa-chompa" sound. Smoke drifts back over us, and I can hear the sound of the traction motors and feel them vibrating through my feet. We're not going too fast which is just as well given the questionable track conditions on the branch. Sleet slats against the cab windows and the sky is getting grayer. It gets dark quickly in the afternoon in November.
There's the cars we'll get - two CN boxcars. The brakeman unloads, walks up ahead, leaning into the wind, unlocks and opens the switch. He flips a hand signal and catches the footboard on the right front of the RS as it moves ahead. We couple onto the cars with a "c-lunk" followed by a short back-and forth motion. Now it's time to pull the cars out of the siding, stop and wait for the brakeman to reline the switch. We move ahead again and pick up the brakeman. This crew has been together for a long time and they don't say much to each other, but the engineer's not going to let the brakeman ride in the sleet and fog.
Back we go down the branch. There's the rest of our train and we couple onto the car to be set out at the lumberyard. This one's a Milwaukee Road boxcar with horizontally ribbed sides - they always did things differently on the Milwaukee. It has a slogan on its side, "Route of the Olympian Hiawatha." It's quick work to couple on, pull ahead, get the switch and make the set out. The crew wants me to ride back to Boston with them, but I can't this day, so I thank them, unload and watch the Alco head back toward the siding down the road where it will put its train back together again. I didn't know it, but that was the last time I rode an RS3 on the B&M.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Work Safe
A bit quiet in the bar without the boss, RUTH but it will liven up when the Track Gang gets in so a Bathams for now please
CM3 Great to see you. I bet it must have been great going up Sherman Hill able to listen and see the diesels on the grade. Were they still E units owned by the different companies hauling the Zephyr. On our recent trip on the Southwest Chief it was the same two Amtrak locomotives from Los Angeles that was still on the train as it left Kansas City for Chicago. Luckily we had a good trip on the Chief so the bride is willing to go on another long distance train trip.
Thanks for the answer of the CP ‘orphan' diesel question.
Many thanks for the chance to read Schenectady's Last Stand again. It is like being with you on that cold November day, saved from the elements by a kind crew on the ALCO. One question I have to ask, if you had known that was your last trip on a RS3 on the B&M, would you have gone to Boston with them. Thanks for sharing.
I would like to ‘borrow' a post from ROB posted on page 16.
CLASSIC STEAM #39 ONTARIO'S THIRD MAINLINE THE CANADIAN NORTHERN
Well we will tell the tale (an abbreviated version) of the "third" national dream in Canada. The Story of Mackenzie and Mann and the rail empire that never quite made it.
In 1895, another chapter in Canadian railway history began. In that year the famous Canadian partners, William MacKenzie and Donald Mann bought the failing Manitoba railway, The Lake Manitoba Railway & Canal Company. And with this purchase they began assembling a network of unused charters and undervalued lines that would eventually stretch from coast to coast. The key link in this chain of railways would be the connecting link running between Ottawa and Toronto. They didn't seem bothered by the fact that two other mainlines were already destined to run east from Toronto, the 50 year old Grand Trunk and the line proposed by the CPR.
By the time the line was under construction, most of the towns along the line were well established. The GT had taken up the best station grounds close to the downtowns, and left the fledgling Canadian Northern (CnoR) the inferior alignments on the outskirts of the towns. The route ventured northeast from Toronto far to the north of Oshawa and Bowmanville and was unable to get a desirable run close to Lake Ontario until it reached Port Hope. From there the next major town was Desoronto, where the line followed closely that of the GT at times running parallel.
Between Napanee and Sydenham (north of Kingston) the CnoR incorporated the existing Bay of Quinte RR (BQ) but from there they laid their own trackage into Ottawa. From Ottawa the route continued along the south shore of the Ottawa river to Hawksbury, where it crossed into Quebec sending separate branches to Montreal and Quebec City.
The Blind ambition of building this and the third transcontinental mainline the Grand Trunk Pacific, however lead to the CnoR's downfall. The completion of three national mainlines, and three east of Toronto with all the extra branches to feed them essentially duplicated each other's services. With the world on the verge of a world war, this had the makings of a financial disaster. By wars end two of these lines were bankrupt. The GT Pacific and the CnoR. With the government owned Intercolonial in the maritimes not being much more healthy.
In an effort to save the bleeding red of these essential services (for moving goods and people and to avoid a national financial crash) The federal government decided to rationalize the redundant network of trakage that spiderwebbed it's way across Ontario and much of the country. In this way the Federal government assumed control of the GTP, the CnoR & the Intercolinial forming the Canadian National Railways (much to the dismay of the CPR)
Under the new CNR banner, the lines that at one point were heated rivals were now suddenly redundant. This was especially evident in the extra trackage east of Toronto. The CNR did not need two mainlines running side by side serving the same communities etc. So the more profitable line was retained. So in 1936 the least profitable line was abandoned, MacKenzie & Mann's CnoR. The line only ran for two decades, yet track remained in place until the 1940's when the metal was torn up for the war effort. Some trackage of this eastern portion of the CnoR still remains in use today in Oshawa and Coburg, but only as stub ended industrial spurs feeding the old GT mainline.
Rob
Pete.
Hi Tom and all,
Set em` up please Leon, Tui`s all round for the crew!
Pete. I must have mistaken those tailboard signs for the one`s they used to have on the smokebox of the named trains loco, the old memory play`s tricks at times! You were correct about the 8F`s being classified as 0-6`s on the LNER, found a pic of one in that Railway mag LNER secial issue. Interesting re-write of Rob`s post. Glad you enjoyed that CHB site, we have a very laid back lifestyle here, and the climates a lot better than Geordieland. That placename sure beats Llanfair PG does`nt it? Have a good break on your holiday.
Eric. That sure is a very long placename we have, if you go on the site again just click on the "Must Do`s" icon on the orange menu strip, you will find the "Longest Placename" on the menu and their is a full interpretation in English. Glad you are looking foreward to your retirement, I thoroughly recomend it.
CM3. Very interesting write up about "Schenectady`s Last Stand, can smell all that diesel smoke from here!
Mike. Nice write up about St Pancras and Eurostar, I was able to watch the live opening of it on BBC World TV, they have made a really top notch job of the restoration and building the new high speed line, must have cost a fortune for all that self cleaning glass on the main canopy.
Tom. Had so much to catch up on but I did take notice of your Battle of Britain pilot number`s, the Kiwi`s took a large part in it for a country of it`s size, NZ also had two Lancaster bomber squadrons in the UK during all the war, a great lawn bowls mate of mine here took part in it, he was awarded two DFC`s but would never say what for, he passed on about ten years ago now, he is greatly missed! Have a good time on your trip away.
If I do`nt get in before Thanksgiving, I wish you all a happy family gathering and have a great time.
See ya, Allan
Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, a round for the house and a Filet Mignon with mushrooms for me, please!
Indeed a quiet day at the Bar by the ballast this Friday! It was only that track gang that made some noise, but they all went to Boris' shed in the back a little while ago.
Mike – Even I enjoyed reading the New York Times article! I haven’t been to London for almost 30 years (except for a few hours at Heathrow, nine years ago) so it would be very interesting to go back and see the changes, including St. Pancras! Tom – The streetcar is not that narrow, it looks more narrow in the picture than it actually is. The front and rear end are more narrow than the rest of the car. Pete – I have been doing the 186 mile bike ride 12 times and I would like to do it at least 3 more times. It takes usually around 12 hours including the breaks. Pacific Electric’s #418, the Blimp, seats 80. I know where San Diego Model Railroad Museum is in Balboa Park. So the 3-Rail layout is at the same place?I read recently that Air France has discontinued most of their flights between Paris and London becuse of the new, improved train service. Good observation, the Swedish bus in that photo! Since you can tell that it is a Swedish bus, maybe you even know what company? Shouldn’t be too hard. When I took that picture 1968 I worked as a busdriver for that particular bus company. Thanks for re-posting Rob’s old post! I like those short articles about those different old railroads in Canada.CM3 – I thought I took a picture of that tank car but it seems like I didn’t. I remember it and was going to take a picture of it, but...Thanks for your Thanksgiving story! I like it a lot! Especially “This crew has been together for a long time and they don't say much to each other, but the engineer's not going to let the brakeman ride in the sleet and fog.” When you know the people you work with as a team, not many words are necessary to get things done. Good story!Allan – That place name is like a story! It would be interesting to hear someone say the name. 34 days! Yes, I am really looking forward to get more time to do what I really like to do.
Windsor, ON.
Eric
This is ENCORE Saturday 'n Pix Posting Day at the bar!
Ahoy Cindy ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!
Cindy my sweet, you are looking mighty fine this <and every> day! Boris, go feed the gang whilst I bask in the glow from our Saturday barkeep! <grin> Yeah, the small jar of PPF is for you . . . but first feed 'em AND don't forget to take Artie out back for his field mouse! <ugh>
Da Bossman will be happy to note that Pete 'n Eric held up their end of things on Friday . . . and also a fine post from Shane - B4 leaving for his Thanksgiving break . . . Also a most welcome return visit from our friend, Gunneral down NZ way!
Saturday around here means E-N-C-O-R-E Day! Yeah, Cap'n Tom began that many, many months ago because of so few in attendance over the weekend. So he figured why "waste" new ‘n original material when hardly anyone is looking in . . . made sense then ‘n still does!
Here's one that brings back a guy we used to have fun with . . . Cap'n Tom started calling him "Red P" - who was (is) a railroad engineer ‘n kinda was a different sorta cat ‘round here. Which added to the great variety of personalities from those times.
Check this out from Feb 18, 2006, Page 251 at the old bar site:
Hello Tom, Long time no see. Im sure everyone has noticed that I dont spend as much time here anymore. Ive been trying to limit my time on the computer. It seems I was sitting on the internet all day and not getting anything done. Well Ive decided to get back to work on some of my other projects and not spend so much time on the internet. But I will stop in from time to time and I may not always have time to review 5 pages of post, Sorry if I disappointed anybody. I also want everyone to realize that im going to waste everyones time with a meaningless post. One of the reasons I dont post much is the fact that I dont have much to say, although there maybe another tale of railroad folklore coming. CM3 While I share your view of those who get what they deserve in grade crossing accidents. There are a lot of innocent victims too. I have had school busses blow crossings on me. I have also had near misses so close that I have looked down at 60 miles an hour and seen a baby strapped in a car seat. Nothing pisses me off more than to see some idiot blow a crossing with little kids in the back seat P
Well Ive decided to get back to work on some of my other projects and not spend so much time on the internet. But I will stop in from time to time and I may not always have time to review 5 pages of post, Sorry if I disappointed anybody.
I also want everyone to realize that im going to waste everyones time with a meaningless post. One of the reasons I dont post much is the fact that I dont have much to say, although there maybe another tale of railroad folklore coming. CM3 While I share your view of those who get what they deserve in grade crossing accidents. There are a lot of innocent victims too. I have had school busses blow crossings on me. I have also had near misses so close that I have looked down at 60 miles an hour and seen a baby strapped in a car seat. Nothing pisses me off more than to see some idiot blow a crossing with little kids in the back seat P
======================================================
Now for the other half of what today is supposed to be about - Photo Posting Day! Here's something from the Larsman Mobile, photo wing! (I was gonna post these yesterday - but couldn't get AROUNDTUIT!
NYC FTA #1600 (courtesy: http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net)
NYC F2A #1605 (courtesy: http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net)
NYC F3A #1620 (courtesy: http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net)
NYC F7A #1851 (courtesy: http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net)
NYC 20th Century Ltd EMD E units southbound along the Hudson River (1947)(from: Bruce Wolfe collection)
NYC F7A #1684 (photo credit: J. Hunt)
That should just about do it for me this day. I'm hoping Da Bossman ‘n Mrs. Bossman are having a hellofatime down there in SW Missouri . . . always good to recharge batteries.
Here's to Cap'n Tom 'n his Mrs. down there in Branson, MO!
Greetings Tom and gentlemen.....
Barkeep! May I please have a Gin&Tonic please? Give the lads whatever they want and don't forget their cigars to go with it.....keep the change.
$$$$ for the cigar box and Mr Wurlitzer....
Here's my encore for today from trusty Captain Tom:
03-13-2007, 2:00 PM
siberianmo wrote: THEME for the DAY! - THEME for the DAY!Now arriving on Track #2 RR THEME for the DAY - Number ElevenMilwaukee Road (CMSTPP) Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Former Milwaukee Road system. Solid red lines are trackage still operated by CP Rail; purple lines are trackage now operated by other railroads; red dotted lines are abandoned. This map suggests a rail crossing between Iowa and Wisconsin; this is incorrect, rather the map indicates routes north and south to rail crossings. Reporting marksMILWLocaleIdaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and WisconsinDates of operation1847 - 1985Track gauge4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)HeadquartersChicago The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMSP&P RR) (AAR reporting marks MILW), was a Class I railroad that operated in the midwest and northwest of the United States from 1847 until its acquisition by the Soo Line railway on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names and faced bankruptcy several times in that period. While the railroad does not exist as a separate entity anymore, it is still commemorated in buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in railroad hardware still maintained by railfans, such as the Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive. History The Milwaukee Road appeared as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad when incorporated in 1847, but soon changed its name to Milwaukee and Mississippi. After three years, the first train ran from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and the first passenger train ran on February 25, 1851. In 1874 the name was changed to Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul. By 1887, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Former Milwaukee Road depot in Austin, Minnesota. Expansion In the 1890s, the Milwaukee's directors increasingly felt that they had to extend the railroad to the Pacific in order to remain competitive with other roads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $45 million. In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $60 million All the best! Jan JanOlov Member sinceDecember 2001 From: GB 376 posts Posted by JanOlov on Saturday, November 17, 2007 11:55 AM Greetings Captain Tom and fellow gentlemen....Barkeep! A round on me around the house, and cigars to go with please....keep the change.$$$$ for the cigar box and Mr Wurlitzer.... Some Miwaukee Road pics to go with earlier encore post....CMStP&P train, engine number #10300 and 12 cars of train #15, The Olympian in Jefferson Canyon, near Three Forks, Mont., August 9, 1938. CMStP&P #10504 and #10213 here with a eastbound freight consisting of 91 cars, approaching Pipestone Pass, Mont., August 9, 1938. CMStP&P #10300 with train #15, The Olympian at Three Forks, Mont., August 9, 1938. CMStP&P #10300 again with train #15, The Olympian; emerging from Pipestone Pass tunnel with 12 cars, Butte, Mont., August 9, 1938. CMStP&P #2 here with 9 cars of second #101, Hiawatha and hitting 60 mph, seen here leaving Chicago, Ill., August 6, 1937.CMStP&P #6408 and train #7, The Arrow here with 7 cars, and doing 20 mph. Omaha, Nebr., September 28, 1935. Credit: Otto Perry and photoswest.... All the best! Jan pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Saturday, November 17, 2007 12:49 PM Hi Tom and all.A mug of your famous ‘Joe' and a bacon sarnie please CINDY, I am surprised to see you here with the boss away.BORIS Did you sort out that arrangement for me, you did good. The track gang certainly got through a fair few of those Keith's we had delivered by mistake and we only got charged for two kegs.ALLAN. Do you remember the Ian Allan loco spotter's books. Quite a few years ago they reprinted some of their very early editions. I have one for the LNER in 1943 and a renumbering addition for 1947.I think the decorated tailboards were a BR innovation, I seem to recall the Eastern Region 'White Rose' express at least had one, I know the LMR 'Red Rose' London to Liverpool express did. I will have to have a look through my 1950s Railway Magazines to see if they are mentioned.They used to produce a platform ticket with the full Llanfair PG name on it; the town still has a railway station there. Mention of Llanfair reminded me when the local football team was playing in a cup game and they handed the TV announcer the match result, after an attempt to say it (to much laughter in the background) he just said "That Welsh team"I bet you don't miss that bitter east wind that could blow off the North Sea sometimes. I have been in Newcastle when it was blowing, bit of a shock for a Midlander.Your friend must have been a very brave man to have been awarded those 2 DFCsThanks for the Thanksgiving wishes. ERIC 186 miles in 12 hours is really good going on a bike. I was when you asked about the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. According to their brochure the layouts at the museum are.Cabrillo Southwestern O Scale Exhibit.San Diego & Arizona Eastern HO Scale Exhibit.Southern Pacific-Santa Fe Tehachapi Pass HO Scale Exhibit.Pacific Desert N Scale ExhibitToy Train Gallery-San Diego 3-Railers ExhibitMuseum Gift Shop Museum Library.These are all in the same area, as you can guess you can be in the museum for hours.Thanks for the info on the Pacific Electric ‘Blimp'I only hope Eurostar don't put the fares too high. I have not heard lately how many freight trains are traveling through the Chunnel, the last I heard the numbers were very disappointingDid Swedish Railways own the bus in your photo.Thanks for the photo of the C&NW cars at Windsor ON.LARS It has been quite a while since we have heard from Red P, I wonder if he ever has a look in at the bar. Interesting encore showing the very hard part of being a locomotive engineer on today's railroad.Many thanks for the great photos of the classic diesels in NYC colors. In the photo of #1851 I see the unit behind seems to lettered for the Pennsylvania. Great photo of the 20th Century alongside the Hudson River in 1947.I too hope the Boss and his bride are having a great time.JAN Many thanks for TOM's Milwaukee Road Encore I still can't believe how the de-electrification was handled, but it did not get off to a good start with the cost of the electrification and the Puget Sound extension costing $257 Million against the $45 m budgeted. Perhaps if the C&NW merger had taken place in the early 1970s we may have been able to see Milwaukee Road on locomotives today.Enjoyed the great photos to go with the encore. Wonderful photos of those large Milwaukee Road Electrics and the steam hauled Hiawatha at speed. Many thanks for the great sunset photo as well.Alans photos this week are on the Holland trip.The special train hauled by # 521 made a photo stop at NEW KWADENDAMME.A close up of #521, the makers plate is still on the diesel..The train as arrived at HOEDENKERKE, which is the present limit of the line. The line to OUDELANDE is to the left, about 2 miles of track is being worked on.No5 arri JanOlov Member sinceDecember 2001 From: GB 376 posts Posted by JanOlov on Saturday, November 17, 2007 1:10 PM WHOOPS! Just noticed that I've forgotten to credit the pics in my post....They're all by Otto Perry and from photoswest..... All the best! Jan Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 17, 2007 2:16 PM Good day all, Have a drink on me. I've been busy trying to get my wife ready for her trip south and my son with his truck. I haven't had much time for anything else. I would like to be working on my model, but can't. Instead, I lie awake at night, thinking about details of the model construction. Most of my free time is spent, in the preparation of the plans. Being a machinist in another life, I find I have to apply metal working skills to the construction of a wood model. I'm not complaining, though. Some enjoy making money. Some enjoy travel. Some even enjoy TV. I enjoy what I'm doing and that's making models. My ultimate plan, is to have the trains I build run on tracks on my 8 acres, powered by electric batteries and radio controlled. It will, I believe be unique in the model world. It finally took me all these years to finally realize my vocation in life. The recent earthquakes in Chile, the country my wife is going to in a few more days, was quite powerful, but did not affect the area where her family lives. I hate to see her go, but I will have more time for my hobby. I browsed quickly over the past posts, and found some really nice pictures from Pete, Eric, Rob and Jan of trains, trolleys, Alaska, posters, etc. Unfortunately, I can't acknowledge each and every one of you at this time, but I do appreciate the time and effort you have put into this tavern by the track. I'm hoping to get enough ahead on this model so I can post some real progress in the future. The other night, I was thinking about what the next form of rail motive power might be. With the cost of oil getting to new record highs, it doesn't sound too far fetched to me that steam fueled by coal, could make a comeback. A steam locomotive is very inefficient in it's transfer of fuel to power. Diesel is much better and electric is the most efficient of all. However, oil or coal must be burned to operate generators to produce electricity to run motors. Steam on the other hand is a direct one step conversion from fuel to power. I wonder if there are any companies doing research to improve steam efficiency. The only one I knew of was "COALS", the Coal Oriented Advanced Systems. They were active in 1985, but I haven't heard anything new from them. Hopefully, the fuel cost may get them back to work. The idea kind of fizzled out a few years later, I'm guessing due to low oil costs, but maybe now the time is right. That's about it for now. I hope Tom and his wife are enjoying their trip. I'll try to drop in more often. Meanwhile, have another drink on me. Edit pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Saturday, November 17, 2007 5:22 PM Hi Tom and all. Well LEON I called in to make sure everything is OK for tonight. I see the pitchers are lined up ready to serve the Keith's to the track gang. Yes the usual Bathams for me..RON Good to see you in the bar. and thanks for the drinksReal glad the earthquakes in Chile were not in the area where your wife's family are.Radio controlled, battery powered models is indeed a great project.It will be a pleasure to read at the bar how the work is progressing.AS you say surely someone is sitting on ideas in which a modern coal fired steam locomotive could be built. I have a feeling though it could look very different to the steam locos of the past. Perhaps a steam-electric,with the advances in AC traction motors, a steam turbine driving an alternator may be a viable project if gas prices continue rising.I have 'Borrowed' a post of DOUG's from page17. Speaking of pix, here's are a few of a trainset we might not be seeing for awhile. The IRM's Nebraska Zephyr has temporarily moved to Avalon Rail in Wisconsin for "specialized restoration", where it will stay for a year or more. Bummer for us, because I'm guessing that the length of time it will be gone will be directly proportional to the funds collected to fix it, and that's a considerable amount. The Nebraska Zephyr cars were built for the Burlington Route in 1936 by Budd as one of two Twin Zephyrs between Chicago and the Twin Cities. In November of 1947, the train set was reassigned to Nebraska Zephyr service between Chicago and Lincoln, NB. It was used in this service until retirement on February 28, 1968, making it the last articulated streamliner in regular service in the United States. It arrived at the Illinois Railway Museum later that year, and has been in use by the museum since then, usually pulled by Burlington 9911A, the sole-surviving EMD E5A unit. " border="0" width="15" height="15" /> Doctor's son: Hello, old man. What's the matter? You're looking glum. Doctor: No wonder. I'm attending that wealthy Mr. Golddig, you know, and I've sent him the wrong medicine. Son: Indeed! Is it a serious blunder? Doctor: Very, very serious. The medicine I've sent him will cure him in two days. " border="0" width="15" height="15" />my pictures are at http://www.railimages.com/gallery/dougsecrist Well Leon another Bathams please and I will get a round in..Pete. EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Sunday, November 18, 2007 1:18 AM Good morning all present!! Leon, I'll have an early breakfast! French Toast, coffee and a cheese danish. Oh, a large O.J.A very busy Saturday kept me away from this place, but now I am finally here. The Captain and Mrs. is gone for a few days but Manager Lars stopped by! Lars – Manager Lars visiting the Bar and Ruth is not here! I agree 100% with red P about grade crossings and accidents/near accidents. A nice collection of NYC locomotives! But the nicest picture is the one of the observation dome car in front of Mt. Hobson! JanOlov – Re-posting Captain Tom’s post on Milwaukee Road! Why am I not surprised? Good choice! And very nice pictures of the same road’s trains/locomotives!BTW, you did credit Otto Perry and photoswest in your original post!Pete – I was not sure if the 3-Railers had their layout at the same location. But now I know. Thanks!I also read something about fewer freight trains than expected through the Chunnel. But that should be good for the passenger service!Yes, you are right. That bus belonged to the Swedish State Railways! The C&NW cars, plus the two private cars in the picture from Windsor was part of our consist on the Canadian Tour 1993. Thank Allan for the nice pictures from Holland! I guess the second picture shows the track going through some kind of levee.Doug’s post about the Nebraska Zephyr is interesting. I wonder if Avalon Rail in Wisconsin has finished their specialized restoration yet? Ron – I think your plans for your model trains in the future are great! Very interesting! I hope your wife will have a safe trip to Chile. The next form of rail motive power? Interesting question. I saw a notice in a magazine recently about somebody working/researching to use steam for power, but that was for automobiles. A few pictures from Orange Empire Railway Museum.Alco RSD-12.Alco RSD-1.SP Alco S-4, built 1952.Los Angeles Railway #665. Eric JanOlov Member sinceDecember 2001 From: GB 376 posts Posted by JanOlov on Sunday, November 18, 2007 8:15 AM Greetings Tom and gentlemen....May I have the usual extra cold Guinness please...and give the lads whatever they want when they show.....cigar as well...thanks...keep the change.$$$$ for the cigar box and Mr Wurlitzer...Tom, nice read about Lionel and American Flyer Trains, it's a scale a tad too big for me, but still an interesting history.... (11-14-2007)pwolfe, nice pics of that layout mate! I wish that I had a space like that to build in....wonder if I could fit in the stretch between East Portal and Avery with all the tunnels and trestles....hmmm? (11-14-2007)EricX2000, will take it slow and steady mate...don't want to miss all the good stuff on Hogmanay. Hope to see more pics from our ol' country in the east from the 60's....(11-15-2007)Da Larsman, well, as you can see I put some pics to your excellent covers on Pacific Electric etc....keep 'em coming matey....(11-15-2007)Tom, yeeessss! Runaway Train....! This will be a good one! The California Zephyr must have been quite the ride in it's time...(11-15-2007)pwolfe, another great shot of the same layout...anymore? What's the size of it? I kinda like the Pacific Electric as well, they had some nice running stock as many else did too....nice pics of the diesel and roundhouse!....(11-15-2007)Gunneral, glad that you liked it, I can't remember where I found it....moan....(11-16-2007)EricX2000, some more great pics I see....travelling on a dome-observation must be the ultimate in train travel.....I want my own and a open observation heavyweight!.....(11-16-2007)wanswheel, interesting post mate!....(11-16-2007)EricX2000, don't you just miss those old SJ buses, eh? SJ was sooo much better back in the day...people took pride their work, do they do that today? I think not....(11-16-2007)coalminer3, interesting post matey!....(11-16-2007)pwolfe, wonder what it would been like today with a third transcontinental...?(11-16-2007)Da Larsman, with a NYC photo session.....got to love those lightning striped E's and F's....(Yesterday)pwolfe, great pics indeed! Some of them looks like taken on a layout....wow!...and the Nebraska Zephyr...yumm!(Yesterday)DD1, give your good lady my very best for her trip to Chile....(Yesterday)EricX2000, ALCO diesels....mmmm! A encore on Miwaukee Road....did you expect anything else or less? ....(Yesterday) All the best! Jan LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts Posted by LoveDomes on Sunday, November 18, 2007 8:31 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers waiting for the bar to open!Yeah, I know it's Sunday and we're CLOSED! But I'm the Manager ‘n have a key - so I' thought this short message might just help to keep "Our" Place up on the forums. Come to think of it - any of youse guyz can always drop off a message through those mail slots on the door on Sundays! So Here's a link to that Branson Scenic RR that Cap'n Tom ‘n his Mrs. most assuredly took (or will take) a ride on! http://www.bransontrain.com/(Recommend the "slide show")Branson Scenic Railroad F9A #98 (GNU Free documentation) Don't worry Boris, I'll take you 'n Leon up to Can-Am Gorge for your Sunday ROMP thru the wildnerness! Bears 'n beasts BEWARWE! [:O] A fine INCLUSIVE post from JAN. Too bad about the round and all because we're CLOSED on SUNDAY!!! But you're post is appreciated as is the round, which will be saved 'til Monday. Until the next time! Lars HEY GUYS! Don't foget Da Bossman's OTHER THREAD!!! EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Sunday, November 18, 2007 10:47 PM Hmm, here it is. This slot should be wider. There you go! JanOlov – I worked as a busdriver for ten years and then the buses looked like buses! But I miss the railroad much more. I had not driven a bus for almost 30 years when I was asked to drive a motorhome from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Brownsville, Texas two years ago. It was the size of a regular bus. The strange thing was the minute I started driving it felt like my bus driving days again. Like I never stopped driving buses.Lars – Manager Lars is our most regular Sunday (closed) visitor! I wonder why? Or do I? Could the reason be Ruth? Thanks for the link to Branson Scenic Railroad! I have never been to Branson, but if I get there I’ll make sure to take a ride on that train. Nice picture of it! Adding a couple of pictures from 1967. They show a freight train passing through a small station where a local passenger train is waiting. Sweden. Eric LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts Posted by LoveDomes on Monday, November 19, 2007 7:27 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!Ruth my deAH, Monday again here at the Watering Hole by the Wayside ‘n time to begin the countdown to FRIDAY! Great seeing ya again, Ruth my deAH ‘n I'll take my customary mugga Joe with a jolt, a round for the boyz, treats for the crittAHs ‘n that small jar of PPF for Boris (once he feeds the gang!). After that dismal performance against the Cowboys a week ago, my JINTS won! Hoped they wouldn't go into a downward spiral ‘n they came through. Still a way to go, so I won't jump on any bandwagon <yet>, but those wild card positions are starting to look good. My hope is that Da Bossman ‘n his Mrs. are having a blast down there in the Ozarks of Missouri, enjoying everything that's there. From what is on that Branson website, seems like quite a place to visit if you like having fun that is! Been somewhat occupied on the homefront ‘n expect it to remain that way for awhile. However, without getting corny over this - I made a commitment to this bar ‘n I'm gonna try my best to keep it, unlike some who've come, gone, come again ‘n gone again. No room in this stone-cold-heart of mine for broken promises or hints of ‘em . . . The downside is I just don't have the time to remain online for as long as needed to do justice to everyone's contributions.So let me just offer a big THANKS to Pete - Eric ‘n Jan for keeping up with what's required to keep this site UP! Here's the Larsman Mobile once again! Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Lehigh & Hudson River Green Bay & Western Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives Tank Cars - ACF - 1865-1955 Ruth, we've got some <ahem> admin matters to attend to on your break! <ooooooh> Until the next time! Lars C'mon guyz - can't find even one photo for Da Bossman's other thread <geesh> EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Monday, November 19, 2007 11:36 AM Good morning all present!!Ruth, good to see you! I know. Well, I'll have steak and bisquits and don't forget to add a lot of extra marinade! Coffee, please!I thought I would stop by and post a few pictures of streetcars in Hamburg, Germany, from 1970. Those streetcars are now a long gone memory. The front and rear ends are pointed, giving the cars a special look. Eric pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Monday, November 19, 2007 3:35 PM Hi Tom and all.A pint of Bathams please RUTH.ERIC Those C&NW cars were great to have part of your Canada tour.Glad you liked Alan's photos, yes that structure in the second photo is part of the flood protection system.It would be good to know if the Nebraska Flyer has been renovated yet, I don't recall seeing any mention of it in Trains magazine.Many thanks for the photos from the Orange Empire Railway Museum, it looks another museum well worth a visit with a good collection of Alcos, the Los Angeles Streetcar looks in great condition.It is amazing to think 1967 was 40 years ago; it seems only yesterday that the Beatles brought out the Sgt. Pepper album.I noticed your comment on when "buses looked liked buses". I must agree with you. The UK had a fantastic variety of buses, which seem to disappear from the 1970s onwards. At the risk of being ‘Tweeted' I'll talk a little about buses. In my part of England the bus company was the BMMO or more familiarly known as the 'Midland Red'. It covered a large area and had a large fleet of buses and coaches, what was I believe was unusual was they built a lot of their own buses including the engines, I don't believe there were many bus companies that done this.A link to some of their buses.http://www.midlandred.net/Many thanks for those photos of the Hamburg Streetcars. Did they replace the Streetcars with modern cars or was the system done away with. I do hope some of the streetcars found there way in to a museum..Glad you are watching what is happening at the bar SundayJAN It says the layout in my photos is of the "Lionel type" 3-Rail O gauge. It is a great layout with a lot going on Unfortunately that was the last photo I have of the model railway museum.With the present increase in rail freight I bet the railroads wish some of the lines, closed in the 1960s and 1970s, were still available today.Many thanks for the kind words on Alan's photos.LARS. Many thanks for the link to the Branson Scenic Railway as you say the slide show is well worth seeing, do you think TOM had a ride in the Dome car. If the weather is the same in South MO as it is in Mid MO Tom is having glorious weather it is expected to reach the mid to high 70s today. Some of the bride's relations live not too far from Branson; I will have to get a ride on the line, although it may cost me a dinner.It is great that you are able to call in at the bar, as I am not allowed anywhere near the ‘Admin Duties'.Great set of bookcovers from the Larsman Mobile today, with some lesser known, to me, lines. Love the painting on the Green Bay and Western cover with the Alcos loading that ship at night time, something that a photo would not capture as well as a painting.I have some photos taken at Sacramento near the back of the railroad museum.This is the swing bridge across the Sacramento River. It carries the road and railroad.An Amtrak California heads for the coast across the bridge. The cycle path on the right heads past the Sacramento Locomotive Works.Amtrak California train leaves the station and heads for the bridge. These should enlarge.Well RUTH a round please.Pete. Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 19, 2007 7:12 PM Good day Lars and all. Have a drink on me. If you like country music, I understand Branson has some of the best. I wonder if Tom is going to take in any of the shows. Pete: Thanks for the concern for my wife. I'll surely pass it on to her. It's amazing how horoscopes seem to be right. Mine for yesterday said "I was finished with the planning stage and it's now time to do some hands-on work" I started in earnest yesterday cutting out the parts for the frame, having pretty much finished the drawings. As to whether we will ever see a return to steam, I think, not likely. The real competition is the airlines. The bottom line is cost per passenger mile and as long as the airlines can keep that cost down, passenger trains can't compete. Airlines have the advantage. They figure passenger miles based on actual flight time. If the passenger has to sit in a waiting room or on the tarmac for an hour, that time doesn't figure in. The time spent getting to and from an airport doesn't count to the airline, only the actual flight time. On a trip from NY to Chicago, the flight may only take 3 hours, while it might take 10 or more hours by train. It's the 3 vs 10 hours the traveler sees, not the overall time spent getting to and from the airport. It would take a lot of PR from the railroads to educate the public to the pleasures and advantages of traveling by rail. I don't think it will happen, at least not in my lifetime. I filled up today, at $2.89. Other stations were selling for up to $3.04. As I was filling up, I was thinking that it is smarter to buy cheap gas rather than the expensive name brands. Cheap gas sells faster, so it doesn't sit around in their tanks absorbing moisture and crud. When someone says they got a bad tank of gas, it's probably because it sat around too long. Allan: Thanks for the nice pics from Holland. It's always nice to see pictures from another country. They are probably as close as I will ever get to visiting there. Those picture perfect scenes seem to be from a time long ago when life was simpler and more kinder (paraphrasing George Bush sr). Eric: Thanks for the well wishes for my wifes trip. She is leaving tomorrow and will be gone for a month. Loved that picture of the LA streetcar. Jan: I was looking at a copy of Model Railroader today, and there was an article in it of a layout of the rock-n-roller, Rod Stewart. Seems he has been interested in trains all his life. The foto spread of his layout is fantastic. Looks like they may have been taken by a professional judging by the lighting. Lars: You're doing a great job while the boss is away. I appreciate your time and effort as I'm sure everyone else here does. : Pete: Do you remember the song by Flanders and Swan called "A Transport of Delight"? Edit EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:17 AM Good morning Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Leon, a ham sandwich would be great. On rye! No, sugar cured ham. Ice cold Keith's. The first day of this short work week is history! 177 days until our 3rd Annual Rendevous! Lars – We are glad to see you any time you have the possibily to stop by! But you certainly have to take care of things at home first. That is the most important thing! Four great books! I certainly would like to have Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives! Most interesting!Pete – Yes, the C&NW cars were very nice but I would say the private cars were more interesting! I searched for info on Nebraska Zephyr but the latest I found was from the late 90’s. Yes, I can recommend Orange Empire Railway Museum. Nice place, a lot of locomotives and cars plus interurbans and traction. Well worth a visit or two. Thanks for the link to Midland Red’s website! Still partly under construction, but a lot of different types of buses! Very interesting! I’ve never heard about a bus company building their own buses, including the engines! The streetcars in Hamburg are gone since 1978. One of Hamburg’s streetcars is actually in San Francisco, waiting for restoration! See link below.http://www.streetcar.org/mim/streetcars/fleet/antique/3557/index.htmlThanks for the Sacramento pictures! Different kind of bridge! Ron – I guess your wife will be back just in time for Christmas! How many hours does it take to fly to Chile? Glad to hear that you have started the “hands-on work” now. I am really looking forward to see pictures of your model in the future! Penn Station, NYC. 1993. Eric LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts Posted by LoveDomes on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 6:58 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!Ruth my deAH, I shudda mentioned yesterday that you've agreed to open the place since Cap'n Tom ain't around to do it. So the hours are a bit longer than usual - just stick close to the Manager, ‘n you'll be rewarded accordingly! Boris, the crittAHs are lined up, so it's feedin' time! Don't forget to take Artie outback for his field mouse <ugh> . . . then after you're through, the small jar of PPF is YOURS! Ruth my deAH, I'll have a mugga Joe with a jolt, a round for the house ‘n of course the change is for YOU! <grin>Looks like Da Bossman will be headin' back soon - said he'd be back at the bar tomorrow! How much of a drive is it from Branson to were Cap'n Tom lives No passenger trains runnin' that way anymore I guess - too bad.Nice photos from Pete over on Cap'n Tom's other site! Did you evAH post those here???? Also liked those Sacramento pix - I remember that swing bridge! Nice livery on those CA Amtraks too. I see the Larsman Mobile has pulled up with some covers! Alco's Northeast Alco's to Allentown Railroaders in the Lehigh River Valley Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Cars Lehigh Valley, 3 - in Color Ruth, we've got to attend to those <ahem> admin matters during your break! Until the next time! Lars EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:20 PM Hello Ruth, I would like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, please! Where is manager Lars? Is that right? Admin matter? A quick lunch and at the same time posting a few random pictures I found in the closet last night. Ottawa, ON. 1993.Brill Model-55 Combination Car, built 1930. Globe, AZ. Eric pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 5:07 PM Hi Tom and all.A pint of Bathams please RUTH.RON Thanks for the drink. Strange how that horoscope was so right for you at this time. As you say it is indeed amazing how the airlines, on some routes, can keep their fares so low especially in Europe. The thing I have heard from a lot of people lately though is that they used to not mind flying but nowadays they say they hate it. When I go to England there is no alternative but it is something I don't look forward to at all, it is surely is the worst form of transport, unless one is able to travel 1st class.I was thinking about if gas prices keep their steady rise in price, there is probably going to be more freight transferred from trucks to the railroads which will probably mean a lot more delays to the passenger trains unless Amtrak owns the tracks, not a happy prospect.YES indeed I do remember the song about the 97 horsepower diesel omnibus by Flanders and Swann, a friend of mine's father had both the Drop of a Hat LPs and we used to listen to them often. Funny enough I have been thinking about the Gas Man Cometh song a bit lately. Have you heard their song called Slow Train. It is about the closure of branch lines and the stations in England that disappeared in the 1960s under the Beeching plan It is a very sad song, to me, and I think it was to Flanders and Swann as well. I found the lyrics on a web site. It is a bit of a coincidence what we have been talking about at the start of the song, it says, "If God had intended us to fly, He would not have given us the railways".http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/anotherhat_slow.htmlI noticed in the lyrics there is a line still open and some stations still have trains, like Ambergate. ERIC Have the Keith's on me. After the unexpected delivery of the two boxcars full of Keith's, with BORIS's help, I have had a nice little earner, can't sat too much.Glad you enjoyed the Midland Red link. I guess color photos of the earlier type of buses built by the company are quite rare. The same company, Ian Allan, who produced books for loco spotters, also issued small books on buses with details of the fleet and the services run. I picked one edition from the 1960s up at a preserved line; I will try and bring it along to the Rendezvous.http://www.bammot.org.uk/THis is a great museum that was not too far from my old home with some of the old Midland Red Buses preserved there.. I visited the museum a few years ago now, the highlight was a ride in a 1962 S15 at evening time which still had the original lighting. I had forgotten how dim the lights in the old buses were. Many thanks for the link to the Hamburg streetcar. An interesting read, it sounds as though Mr. Klebolt was quite a character. I would have loved to have been there when the streetcar turned up in front of the Mayor when she did not expect it. Have you been to the San Francisco Railway Museum.I wonder if Hamburg regrets getting rid of the streetcars in 1978, as so many cities are putting the trams back.The bridge a bit farther up the Sacramento River was of the lifting type although I did not manage to get a photo of it operating.Many thanks for the photos. The Brill M55 looks a great car. Does the railroad at Globe AZ run very far.LARS I am glad RUTH gets up early to open the bar while TOM is away, if was left to me, I'm afraid, there would be a lot of the Timber yard workers waiting for their breakfast.I think it is about 200 to 300 miles from Branson to Tom's home, (I still have not got to thinking distances in hours driving yet). I believe there has been talk about running a passenger service from St Louis to Springfield MO, which is to the north of Branson, on the BNSF line, but I have not heard any more about this for quite a while.Yes The photos I posted on Tom's other site were posted at the bar,I thought it was recent but it was back on the 10-05-2007 on page 121 EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 11:04 PM Good evening Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Leon, I'll have a double cheese burger with curly fries and a large Coke! Kind of slow day which isn't surprising considering it is the Thanksgiving week. Just one more day to work before four days off. Lars – Early visit by our Manager! I wonder why so early? Helping Ruth open the place? Hmmm. Some interesting books, as usual! I’ll take the books about Alcos!Pete – That museum has quite a few buses! Interesting. British buses have never been common in Sweden. Stockholm Transit had a bunch of Leylands starting in the late 60’s. They are all gone now. Thanks for the link!Mr. Klebolt certainly was a character! I have never been to SF Railway Museum. I don’t know if the City of Hamburg regrets that they got rid of their streetcars. Globe (copper mine) is at the end of the line and the railroad used to be a part of Southern Pacific’s network.Nice pictures! Especially the one of the CN FPA-4 Alco! But who is that guy in the streetcar? I think I have seen him before. Atchison, KS. 2007. Eric siberianmo Member sinceFebruary 2004 From: Chesterfield, Missouri, USA 7,214 posts "Our" Place reborn! An adult bar 'n grill for the discussion of Classic Trains! Posted by siberianmo on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 7:54 AM <personal foto>Wednesday's WitticismOn the range, a man's home is apt to be his saddle blanket ‘n the first thing you know, he's moved it to Texas.G'day Gents! Home again, home again - jiggety jog! Good to be back ‘n from the looks of things, our stalwarts kept the place open - even had some Sunday activity! Nice going to all who kept "Our" Place in your activities - for every little bit helps ‘round this joint! Mid-week in mid-continent USA where the temps are expected to drop from the 70s to the 40s (F) - have some much needed rain forecast too. Surely glad I picked up a few zillion more leaves yesterday - after retrieving Juneau from the kennel, unpacking, taking him for a walk, etc.! <ugh>Ahhhhhh, the smell of freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee sets the stage for some pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery ‘n of course a <light> or <traditional> breakfast! Comments from the Proprietor: Planned absences:CM3 Shane - Nov 19th to 26th - and - Nov 28th to Dec 19th <in ‘n out>Pete - Nov 22nd to 26th Per - Nov 21st to 29thLars - <uncertain regarding availability>Now is the time for those of you who frequent this joint to step up with a few words ‘n perhaps a foto during these <down> times . . . doesn't have to be an extravaganza to participate. Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative) Friday - Nov 16th, 2007:Eric (EricX2000) at 10:01 AM: Two trolley fotos from Norway! Pete (pwolfe) at 12:31 PM: Concerned about the ‘dipper,' and all along, Boris had his stashed away in his shed - for safekeeping! <uh oh>CM3 Shane (coalminer3) at 1:26 PM: Early PM visit with a fine rerun of Schenectady's Last Stand . . . good choice for a bon voyage visit! [tup ] Pete (pwolfe) at 4:58 PM: 2nd visit with ENCORE! of Classic Steam #38 from Rob . . .Allan (Gunneral) at 6:39 PM: Our Resident Downunder NZ Kiwi made it in again! Another fine inclusive Post! Was really impressed with the Lancaster bomber I saw at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario during Rendezvous I. Lots of history with those planes . . . That bomber is dedicated to the memory of Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski (Victoria Cross).Saturday - Nov 17th:Eric (EricX2000) at 12:39 AM: An inclusive ‘n most interesting Post from our Resident Nocturnal Desert Swede! Believe it or not, this county almost got serious about linking major metropolitan areas by high-speed rail - thereby hoping to eliminate <or drastically reduce> short distance airplane flights. But <alas> not to be . . . Glad to note that somewhere in this world, "they" are doing it right. <envy>Lars (LoveDomes) at 8:12 AM: Surprise early Saturday morning visit from the Manager! Fine ENCORE! from UTB <Red P> and also that spate of NYC diesels helped kick start foto posting day too! Jan (JanOlov) at 8:14 AM & 11:55 AM & 1:10 PM: An ENCORE! of mine from our Resident Swede in Scotland! Happy Railroading! Siberianmo LoveDomes Member sinceJanuary 2006 From: northeast U.S. 1,225 posts Posted by LoveDomes on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 10:38 AM Ahoy Cap'n Tom 'n fellow travelers at the bar!Great to see Da Bossman made it safely back home 'n to "Our" Place! Figured I'd try to fill in at a different time now that he's back 'n especially since Shane is away too. Ruth my deAH, I'll have one of those spiked ciders that we brought in for the holdiays! Treats for the crittAHs, a round for house 'n keep the change! Boris, that small jar of PPF is YOURS, but only after you feed the gang 'n take Artie outback for his field mouse! <ugh>Thought just crossed my feeble mind: where are the Canadian guys EvAH since Cap'n Tom <tweeted> Fergie, he's pretty much made himself very scarce. And trolleyMAN Rob Said he'd be around for the Nov 11th-12th remembrances, but . . . . So, we're now without any north of the 49th representatives. So be it - we'll just turn this joint into a British - Swedish - American bar! With a housefull for Thanksgiving, I'm only gonna be able to drop off some covAHs, then sorry to say - I must skedaddle! Of course I'll make the time for YOU, Ruth . . . when is your break <grin> <blush>Covers from the Larsman Mobile . . . Lehigh Valley, 2 - in Color CNJ/LV Color Guide to Freight & Passenger Equipment Lehigh Valley, 4 - in Color Trackside around Sayre-Towanda-Waverly Trackside around New Jersey Really not sure about tomorrow, so for all of youse guyz celebrating Thanksgiving - have a happy! With three pro-NFL games on, should be a "gudun"! Until the next time! Lars Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 10:44 AM Good day Tom and all present, Drinks all around and pour the good stuff, The Glen Levitt and Guinness. Good to have you back. I hope you and the missus had an enjoyable trip to Branson. I'm kinda in a rush today, so I won't be able to add any comments to the posts. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I'm up to my ears cooking. I'll be going to my Daughter's as my wife is in Chile. I'm making my signature stuffing and some pumpkin pies. The flight to Chile is about 11 hours. I'm sure she has already touched down, so I'm awaiting a call from her. I want to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving and the drinks are on me if you show up at "Our place" tomorrow. Gotta go. Ron. Edit EricX2000 Member sinceDecember 2002 From: Phoenix, AZ 683 posts Posted by EricX2000 on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 1:21 PM Good afternoon Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!Ruth, I'll just have a Keith's for now. Can't stay.Just stopped by to say Welcome Home to the Captain and the mrs. I am sure Juneau is a very happy dog today. Brought a few pictures to post. First the only Fairbanks-Morse I have in a picture. It's a H-12-44. Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Now at Orange Empire Railway Museum. A Birney Safety Car. “Hollywood car” #716, Pacific Electric. Eric pwolfe Member sinceFebruary 2005 From: mid mo 1,054 posts Posted by pwolfe on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 2:47 PM Hi Tom and all.A round please RUTH to celebrate TOM's return.ERIC In the 1970s the Leyland ‘National' buses seemed very common in Britain, I think the National formed the basis of the railcars built for British Rail as we have talked about at the bar.I do hope I can get back to San Francisco one day as there a is a great deal to see and tramways to ride on.Is the line at Globe AZ still used to serve the copper mine and the Brill car running tourist trains at the weekends or is it just a tourist line now.The caboose at Atchison looks a fairly modern one, thanks for the photo.I noticed Manager Lars never said anything about yesterday's early start with RUTH.Many thanks for the photos from the Orange Empire Railway Museum. I guess there aren't many of those Fairbanks Morse locomotives in preservation. The PE Hollywood car looks an interesting vehicle, I wonder what the top speed of those cars was,it looks capable of a fair turn of speed. LARS Those spiked ciders will go very well with the turkey.Many thanks for the Lehigh Valley and the New Jersey bookcovers from the Larsman Mobile. I see the LV emblem was a flag, I was thinking there was not many railways that had a flag as an emblem. RON. Thanks for the drink the food you are preparing for tomorrow sounds delicious.I had not realized the flight to Chile was so long, a lot longer than from New York to England.TOM Great to have the boss back. I bet JUNEAU was real pleased to see you, it seems the weather waited until you got back before turning rainy. On one of my earlier visits we did visit the Silver Dollar City near Branson, the bride worked there a couple of summers in the college break. We were going to go on the railway at Branson but for some reason I can't remember we could not go on it at that time. I did get a ride on the train that runs in Silver Dollar City and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a real steam locomotive. I will look forward to your photos from the Branson trip sounds a great time in the Silver Garden Dome Car.I guessed those photos were from the time of the Pennsy NYC merger it was a shame to see the Pennsy red locomotives painted black. I'm afraid I have to agree with you about the St Louis to Springfield MO passenger service, although the line does not seem too busy with freight traffic. Even if a service did run I wonder about the travel time by rail compared by road with the I-44 paralleling the line.Glad you enjoyed the pics.Yes it is 40 years today that Sgt Pepper taught the band play.A few model photosAt the Sacramento Railroad museum.At Union Station in Kansas City, setting up for this years layout.These should enlarge.Well off to the bride's family in a while. Thanks for the good wishes for Thanksgiving.MAY I WISH ALL THE REGULARS AND THEIR FAMILIES ALL THE BEST FOR THANKSGIVING.Pete. « First«92939495969798»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! Login Register FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter Submit More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
THEME for the DAY! - THEME for the DAY!
Now arriving on Track #2
RR THEME for the DAY - Number Eleven
Milwaukee Road (CMSTPP)
Used with permission from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Formatting differences made necessary due to Forums requirements
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Former Milwaukee Road system. Solid red lines are trackage still operated by CP Rail; purple lines are trackage now operated by other railroads; red dotted lines are abandoned. This map suggests a rail crossing between Iowa and Wisconsin; this is incorrect, rather the map indicates routes north and south to rail crossings.
Reporting marks
MILW
Locale
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin
Dates of operation
1847 - 1985
Track gauge
4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters
Chicago
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMSP&P RR) (AAR reporting marks MILW), was a Class I railroad that operated in the midwest and northwest of the United States from 1847 until its acquisition by the Soo Line railway on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names and faced bankruptcy several times in that period. While the railroad does not exist as a separate entity anymore, it is still commemorated in buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in railroad hardware still maintained by railfans, such as the Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive.
History
The Milwaukee Road appeared as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad when incorporated in 1847, but soon changed its name to Milwaukee and Mississippi. After three years, the first train ran from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and the first passenger train ran on February 25, 1851. In 1874 the name was changed to Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul. By 1887, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Former Milwaukee Road depot in Austin, Minnesota.
Expansion
In the 1890s, the Milwaukee's directors increasingly felt that they had to extend the railroad to the Pacific in order to remain competitive with other roads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $45 million. In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $60 million
Greetings Captain Tom and fellow gentlemen....
Barkeep! A round on me around the house, and cigars to go with please....keep the change.
Some Miwaukee Road pics to go with earlier encore post....
CMStP&P train, engine number #10300 and 12 cars of train #15, The Olympian in Jefferson Canyon, near Three Forks, Mont., August 9, 1938.
CMStP&P #10504 and #10213 here with a eastbound freight consisting of 91 cars, approaching Pipestone Pass, Mont., August 9, 1938.
CMStP&P #10300 with train #15, The Olympian at Three Forks, Mont., August 9, 1938.
CMStP&P #10300 again with train #15, The Olympian; emerging from Pipestone Pass tunnel with 12 cars, Butte, Mont., August 9, 1938.
CMStP&P #2 here with 9 cars of second #101, Hiawatha and hitting 60 mph, seen here leaving Chicago, Ill., August 6, 1937.
CMStP&P #6408 and train #7, The Arrow here with 7 cars, and doing 20 mph. Omaha, Nebr., September 28, 1935.
Credit: Otto Perry and photoswest....
A mug of your famous ‘Joe' and a bacon sarnie please CINDY, I am surprised to see you here with the boss away.
BORIS Did you sort out that arrangement for me, you did good. The track gang certainly got through a fair few of those Keith's we had delivered by mistake and we only got charged for two kegs.
ALLAN. Do you remember the Ian Allan loco spotter's books. Quite a few years ago they reprinted some of their very early editions. I have one for the LNER in 1943 and a renumbering addition for 1947.
I think the decorated tailboards were a BR innovation, I seem to recall the Eastern Region 'White Rose' express at least had one, I know the LMR 'Red Rose' London to Liverpool express did. I will have to have a look through my 1950s Railway Magazines to see if they are mentioned.
They used to produce a platform ticket with the full Llanfair PG name on it; the town still has a railway station there. Mention of Llanfair reminded me when the local football team was playing in a cup game and they handed the TV announcer the match result, after an attempt to say it (to much laughter in the background) he just said "That Welsh team"
I bet you don't miss that bitter east wind that could blow off the North Sea sometimes. I have been in Newcastle when it was blowing, bit of a shock for a Midlander.
Your friend must have been a very brave man to have been awarded those 2 DFCs
Thanks for the Thanksgiving wishes.
ERIC 186 miles in 12 hours is really good going on a bike.
I was when you asked about the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. According to their brochure the layouts at the museum are.
Cabrillo Southwestern O Scale Exhibit.
San Diego & Arizona Eastern HO Scale Exhibit.
Southern Pacific-Santa Fe Tehachapi Pass HO Scale Exhibit.
Pacific Desert N Scale Exhibit
Toy Train Gallery-San Diego 3-Railers Exhibit
Museum Gift Shop
Museum Library.
These are all in the same area, as you can guess you can be in the museum for hours.
Thanks for the info on the Pacific Electric ‘Blimp'
I only hope Eurostar don't put the fares too high. I have not heard lately how many freight trains are traveling through the Chunnel, the last I heard the numbers were very disappointing
Did Swedish Railways own the bus in your photo.
Thanks for the photo of the C&NW cars at Windsor ON.
LARS It has been quite a while since we have heard from Red P, I wonder if he ever has a look in at the bar. Interesting encore showing the very hard part of being a locomotive engineer on today's railroad.
Many thanks for the great photos of the classic diesels in NYC colors. In the photo of #1851 I see the unit behind seems to lettered for the Pennsylvania. Great photo of the 20th Century alongside the Hudson River in 1947.
I too hope the Boss and his bride are having a great time.
JAN Many thanks for TOM's Milwaukee Road Encore I still can't believe how the de-electrification was handled, but it did not get off to a good start with the cost of the electrification and the Puget Sound extension costing $257 Million against the $45 m budgeted. Perhaps if the C&NW merger had taken place in the early 1970s we may have been able to see Milwaukee Road on locomotives today.
Enjoyed the great photos to go with the encore. Wonderful photos of those large Milwaukee Road Electrics and the steam hauled Hiawatha at speed. Many thanks for the great sunset photo as well.
Alans photos this week are on the Holland trip.
The special train hauled by # 521 made a photo stop at NEW KWADENDAMME.
A close up of #521, the makers plate is still on the diesel..
The train as arrived at HOEDENKERKE, which is the present limit of the line. The line to OUDELANDE is to the left, about 2 miles of track is being worked on.
No5 arri
Good day all, Have a drink on me.
I've been busy trying to get my wife ready for her trip south and my son with his truck. I haven't had much time for anything else. I would like to be working on my model, but can't. Instead, I lie awake at night, thinking about details of the model construction. Most of my free time is spent, in the preparation of the plans. Being a machinist in another life, I find I have to apply metal working skills to the construction of a wood model. I'm not complaining, though. Some enjoy making money. Some enjoy travel. Some even enjoy TV. I enjoy what I'm doing and that's making models. My ultimate plan, is to have the trains I build run on tracks on my 8 acres, powered by electric batteries and radio controlled. It will, I believe be unique in the model world. It finally took me all these years to finally realize my vocation in life.
The recent earthquakes in Chile, the country my wife is going to in a few more days, was quite powerful, but did not affect the area where her family lives. I hate to see her go, but I will have more time for my hobby.
I browsed quickly over the past posts, and found some really nice pictures from Pete, Eric, Rob and Jan of trains, trolleys, Alaska, posters, etc. Unfortunately, I can't acknowledge each and every one of you at this time, but I do appreciate the time and effort you have put into this tavern by the track. I'm hoping to get enough ahead on this model so I can post some real progress in the future.
The other night, I was thinking about what the next form of rail motive power might be. With the cost of oil getting to new record highs, it doesn't sound too far fetched to me that steam fueled by coal, could make a comeback. A steam locomotive is very inefficient in it's transfer of fuel to power. Diesel is much better and electric is the most efficient of all. However, oil or coal must be burned to operate generators to produce electricity to run motors. Steam on the other hand is a direct one step conversion from fuel to power. I wonder if there are any companies doing research to improve steam efficiency. The only one I knew of was "COALS", the Coal Oriented Advanced Systems. They were active in 1985, but I haven't heard anything new from them. Hopefully, the fuel cost may get them back to work. The idea kind of fizzled out a few years later, I'm guessing due to low oil costs, but maybe now the time is right.
Well LEON I called in to make sure everything is OK for tonight. I see the pitchers are lined up ready to serve the Keith's to the track gang. Yes the usual Bathams for me..
RON Good to see you in the bar. and thanks for the drinks
Real glad the earthquakes in Chile were not in the area where your wife's family are.
Radio controlled, battery powered models is indeed a great project.It will be a pleasure to read at the bar how the work is progressing.
AS you say surely someone is sitting on ideas in which a modern coal fired steam locomotive could be built. I have a feeling though it could look very different to the steam locos of the past. Perhaps a steam-electric,with the advances in AC traction motors, a steam turbine driving an alternator may be a viable project if gas prices continue rising.
I have 'Borrowed' a post of DOUG's from page17.
Speaking of pix, here's are a few of a trainset we might not be seeing for awhile. The IRM's Nebraska Zephyr has temporarily moved to Avalon Rail in Wisconsin for "specialized restoration", where it will stay for a year or more. Bummer for us, because I'm guessing that the length of time it will be gone will be directly proportional to the funds collected to fix it, and that's a considerable amount.
The Nebraska Zephyr cars were built for the Burlington Route in 1936 by Budd as one of two Twin Zephyrs between Chicago and the Twin Cities. In November of 1947, the train set was reassigned to Nebraska Zephyr service between Chicago and Lincoln, NB.
It was used in this service until retirement on February 28, 1968, making it the last articulated streamliner in regular service in the United States. It arrived at the Illinois Railway Museum later that year, and has been in use by the museum since then, usually pulled by Burlington 9911A, the sole-surviving EMD E5A unit.
" border="0" width="15" height="15" /> Doctor's son: Hello, old man. What's the matter? You're looking glum.
Doctor: No wonder. I'm attending that wealthy Mr. Golddig, you know, and I've sent him the wrong medicine.
Son: Indeed! Is it a serious blunder?
Doctor: Very, very serious. The medicine I've sent him will cure him in two days. " border="0" width="15" height="15" />
Well Leon another Bathams please and I will get a round in..
Good morning all present!!
Leon, I'll have an early breakfast! French Toast, coffee and a cheese danish. Oh, a large O.J.
A very busy Saturday kept me away from this place, but now I am finally here. The Captain and Mrs. is gone for a few days but Manager Lars stopped by!
Lars – Manager Lars visiting the Bar and Ruth is not here! I agree 100% with red P about grade crossings and accidents/near accidents. A nice collection of NYC locomotives! But the nicest picture is the one of the observation dome car in front of Mt. Hobson! JanOlov – Re-posting Captain Tom’s post on Milwaukee Road! Why am I not surprised? Good choice! And very nice pictures of the same road’s trains/locomotives!BTW, you did credit Otto Perry and photoswest in your original post!Pete – I was not sure if the 3-Railers had their layout at the same location. But now I know. Thanks!I also read something about fewer freight trains than expected through the Chunnel. But that should be good for the passenger service!Yes, you are right. That bus belonged to the Swedish State Railways! The C&NW cars, plus the two private cars in the picture from Windsor was part of our consist on the Canadian Tour 1993. Thank Allan for the nice pictures from Holland! I guess the second picture shows the track going through some kind of levee.
Doug’s post about the Nebraska Zephyr is interesting. I wonder if Avalon Rail in Wisconsin has finished their specialized restoration yet? Ron – I think your plans for your model trains in the future are great! Very interesting! I hope your wife will have a safe trip to Chile. The next form of rail motive power? Interesting question. I saw a notice in a magazine recently about somebody working/researching to use steam for power, but that was for automobiles. A few pictures from Orange Empire Railway Museum.
Alco RSD-12.
Alco RSD-1.
SP Alco S-4, built 1952.
Los Angeles Railway #665.
Greetings Tom and gentlemen....
May I have the usual extra cold Guinness please...and give the lads whatever they want when they show.....cigar as well...thanks...keep the change.
$$$$ for the cigar box and Mr Wurlitzer...
Tom, nice read about Lionel and American Flyer Trains, it's a scale a tad too big for me, but still an interesting history.... (11-14-2007)
pwolfe, nice pics of that layout mate! I wish that I had a space like that to build in....wonder if I could fit in the stretch between East Portal and Avery with all the tunnels and trestles....hmmm? (11-14-2007)
EricX2000, will take it slow and steady mate...don't want to miss all the good stuff on Hogmanay. Hope to see more pics from our ol' country in the east from the 60's....(11-15-2007)
Da Larsman, well, as you can see I put some pics to your excellent covers on Pacific Electric etc....keep 'em coming matey....(11-15-2007)
Tom, yeeessss! Runaway Train....! This will be a good one! The California Zephyr must have been quite the ride in it's time...(11-15-2007)
pwolfe, another great shot of the same layout...anymore? What's the size of it? I kinda like the Pacific Electric as well, they had some nice running stock as many else did too....nice pics of the diesel and roundhouse!....(11-15-2007)
Gunneral, glad that you liked it, I can't remember where I found it....moan....(11-16-2007)
EricX2000, some more great pics I see....travelling on a dome-observation must be the ultimate in train travel.....I want my own and a open observation heavyweight!.....(11-16-2007)
wanswheel, interesting post mate!....(11-16-2007)
EricX2000, don't you just miss those old SJ buses, eh? SJ was sooo much better back in the day...people took pride their work, do they do that today? I think not....(11-16-2007)
coalminer3, interesting post matey!....(11-16-2007)
pwolfe, wonder what it would been like today with a third transcontinental...?(11-16-2007)
Da Larsman, with a NYC photo session.....got to love those lightning striped E's and F's....(Yesterday)
pwolfe, great pics indeed! Some of them looks like taken on a layout....wow!...and the Nebraska Zephyr...yumm!(Yesterday)
DD1, give your good lady my very best for her trip to Chile....(Yesterday)
EricX2000, ALCO diesels....mmmm! A encore on Miwaukee Road....did you expect anything else or less? ....(Yesterday)
Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers waiting for the bar to open!
Yeah, I know it's Sunday and we're CLOSED! But I'm the Manager ‘n have a key - so I' thought this short message might just help to keep "Our" Place up on the forums. Come to think of it - any of youse guyz can always drop off a message through those mail slots on the door on Sundays! So
Here's a link to that Branson Scenic RR that Cap'n Tom ‘n his Mrs. most assuredly took (or will take) a ride on!
http://www.bransontrain.com/
(Recommend the "slide show")
Branson Scenic Railroad F9A #98 (GNU Free documentation)
Don't worry Boris, I'll take you 'n Leon up to Can-Am Gorge for your Sunday ROMP thru the wildnerness! Bears 'n beasts BEWARWE! [:O]
A fine INCLUSIVE post from JAN. Too bad about the round and all because we're CLOSED on SUNDAY!!! But you're post is appreciated as is the round, which will be saved 'til Monday.
Until the next time!
Lars
HEY GUYS! Don't foget Da Bossman's OTHER THREAD!!!
Hmm, here it is. This slot should be wider. There you go!
JanOlov – I worked as a busdriver for ten years and then the buses looked like buses! But I miss the railroad much more.
I had not driven a bus for almost 30 years when I was asked to drive a motorhome from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Brownsville, Texas two years ago. It was the size of a regular bus. The strange thing was the minute I started driving it felt like my bus driving days again. Like I never stopped driving buses.Lars – Manager Lars is our most regular Sunday (closed) visitor! I wonder why? Or do I? Could the reason be Ruth? Thanks for the link to Branson Scenic Railroad! I have never been to Branson, but if I get there I’ll make sure to take a ride on that train. Nice picture of it!
Adding a couple of pictures from 1967. They show a freight train passing through a small station where a local passenger train is waiting. Sweden.
Ahoy Cap'n Tom ‘n fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth my deAH, Monday again here at the Watering Hole by the Wayside ‘n time to begin the countdown to FRIDAY! Great seeing ya again, Ruth my deAH ‘n I'll take my customary mugga Joe with a jolt, a round for the boyz, treats for the crittAHs ‘n that small jar of PPF for Boris (once he feeds the gang!).
After that dismal performance against the Cowboys a week ago, my JINTS won! Hoped they wouldn't go into a downward spiral ‘n they came through. Still a way to go, so I won't jump on any bandwagon <yet>, but those wild card positions are starting to look good.
My hope is that Da Bossman ‘n his Mrs. are having a blast down there in the Ozarks of Missouri, enjoying everything that's there. From what is on that Branson website, seems like quite a place to visit if you like having fun that is!
Been somewhat occupied on the homefront ‘n expect it to remain that way for awhile. However, without getting corny over this - I made a commitment to this bar ‘n I'm gonna try my best to keep it, unlike some who've come, gone, come again ‘n gone again. No room in this stone-cold-heart of mine for broken promises or hints of ‘em . . .
The downside is I just don't have the time to remain online for as long as needed to do justice to everyone's contributions.
So let me just offer a big THANKS to Pete - Eric ‘n Jan for keeping up with what's required to keep this site UP!
Here's the Larsman Mobile once again!
Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis
Lehigh & Hudson River
Green Bay & Western
Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives
Tank Cars - ACF - 1865-1955
Ruth, we've got some <ahem> admin matters to attend to on your break! <ooooooh>
C'mon guyz - can't find even one photo for Da Bossman's other thread <geesh>
Ruth, good to see you! I know. Well, I'll have steak and bisquits and don't forget to add a lot of extra marinade! Coffee, please!
I thought I would stop by and post a few pictures of streetcars in Hamburg, Germany, from 1970. Those streetcars are now a long gone memory. The front and rear ends are pointed, giving the cars a special look.
A pint of Bathams please RUTH.
ERIC Those C&NW cars were great to have part of your Canada tour.
Glad you liked Alan's photos, yes that structure in the second photo is part of the flood protection system.
It would be good to know if the Nebraska Flyer has been renovated yet, I don't recall seeing any mention of it in Trains magazine.
Many thanks for the photos from the Orange Empire Railway Museum, it looks another museum well worth a visit with a good collection of Alcos, the Los Angeles Streetcar looks in great condition.
It is amazing to think 1967 was 40 years ago; it seems only yesterday that the Beatles brought out the Sgt. Pepper album.
I noticed your comment on when "buses looked liked buses". I must agree with you. The UK had a fantastic variety of buses, which seem to disappear from the 1970s onwards. At the risk of being ‘Tweeted' I'll talk a little about buses. In my part of England the bus company was the BMMO or more familiarly known as the 'Midland Red'. It covered a large area and had a large fleet of buses and coaches, what was I believe was unusual was they built a lot of their own buses including the engines, I don't believe there were many bus companies that done this.
A link to some of their buses.
http://www.midlandred.net/
Many thanks for those photos of the Hamburg Streetcars. Did they replace the Streetcars with modern cars or was the system done away with. I do hope some of the streetcars found there way in to a museum..
Glad you are watching what is happening at the bar Sunday
JAN It says the layout in my photos is of the "Lionel type" 3-Rail O gauge. It is a great layout with a lot going on Unfortunately that was the last photo I have of the model railway museum.
With the present increase in rail freight I bet the railroads wish some of the lines, closed in the 1960s and 1970s, were still available today.
Many thanks for the kind words on Alan's photos.
LARS. Many thanks for the link to the Branson Scenic Railway as you say the slide show is well worth seeing, do you think TOM had a ride in the Dome car. If the weather is the same in South MO as it is in Mid MO Tom is having glorious weather it is expected to reach the mid to high 70s today. Some of the bride's relations live not too far from Branson; I will have to get a ride on the line, although it may cost me a dinner.
It is great that you are able to call in at the bar, as I am not allowed anywhere near the ‘Admin Duties'.
Great set of bookcovers from the Larsman Mobile today, with some lesser known, to me, lines. Love the painting on the Green Bay and Western cover with the Alcos loading that ship at night time, something that a photo would not capture as well as a painting.
I have some photos taken at Sacramento near the back of the railroad museum.
This is the swing bridge across the Sacramento River. It carries the road and railroad.
An Amtrak California heads for the coast across the bridge. The cycle path on the right heads past the Sacramento Locomotive Works.
Amtrak California train leaves the station and heads for the bridge.
These should enlarge.
Well RUTH a round please.
Good day Lars and all. Have a drink on me. If you like country music, I understand Branson has some of the best. I wonder if Tom is going to take in any of the shows.
Pete: Thanks for the concern for my wife. I'll surely pass it on to her. It's amazing how horoscopes seem to be right. Mine for yesterday said "I was finished with the planning stage and it's now time to do some hands-on work" I started in earnest yesterday cutting out the parts for the frame, having pretty much finished the drawings. As to whether we will ever see a return to steam, I think, not likely. The real competition is the airlines. The bottom line is cost per passenger mile and as long as the airlines can keep that cost down, passenger trains can't compete. Airlines have the advantage. They figure passenger miles based on actual flight time. If the passenger has to sit in a waiting room or on the tarmac for an hour, that time doesn't figure in. The time spent getting to and from an airport doesn't count to the airline, only the actual flight time. On a trip from NY to Chicago, the flight may only take 3 hours, while it might take 10 or more hours by train. It's the 3 vs 10 hours the traveler sees, not the overall time spent getting to and from the airport. It would take a lot of PR from the railroads to educate the public to the pleasures and advantages of traveling by rail. I don't think it will happen, at least not in my lifetime.
I filled up today, at $2.89. Other stations were selling for up to $3.04. As I was filling up, I was thinking that it is smarter to buy cheap gas rather than the expensive name brands. Cheap gas sells faster, so it doesn't sit around in their tanks absorbing moisture and crud. When someone says they got a bad tank of gas, it's probably because it sat around too long.
Allan: Thanks for the nice pics from Holland. It's always nice to see pictures from another country. They are probably as close as I will ever get to visiting there. Those picture perfect scenes seem to be from a time long ago when life was simpler and more kinder (paraphrasing George Bush sr).
Eric: Thanks for the well wishes for my wifes trip. She is leaving tomorrow and will be gone for a month. Loved that picture of the LA streetcar.
Jan: I was looking at a copy of Model Railroader today, and there was an article in it of a layout of the rock-n-roller, Rod Stewart. Seems he has been interested in trains all his life. The foto spread of his layout is fantastic. Looks like they may have been taken by a professional judging by the lighting.
Lars: You're doing a great job while the boss is away. I appreciate your time and effort as I'm sure everyone else here does.
Leon, a ham sandwich would be great. On rye! No, sugar cured ham. Ice cold Keith's.
The first day of this short work week is history! 177 days until our 3rd Annual Rendevous!
Lars – We are glad to see you any time you have the possibily to stop by! But you certainly have to take care of things at home first. That is the most important thing! Four great books! I certainly would like to have Fairbanks-Morse Locomotives! Most interesting!Pete – Yes, the C&NW cars were very nice but I would say the private cars were more interesting! I searched for info on Nebraska Zephyr but the latest I found was from the late 90’s. Yes, I can recommend Orange Empire Railway Museum. Nice place, a lot of locomotives and cars plus interurbans and traction. Well worth a visit or two. Thanks for the link to Midland Red’s website! Still partly under construction, but a lot of different types of buses! Very interesting! I’ve never heard about a bus company building their own buses, including the engines! The streetcars in Hamburg are gone since 1978. One of Hamburg’s streetcars is actually in San Francisco, waiting for restoration! See link below.http://www.streetcar.org/mim/streetcars/fleet/antique/3557/index.htmlThanks for the Sacramento pictures! Different kind of bridge! Ron – I guess your wife will be back just in time for Christmas! How many hours does it take to fly to Chile? Glad to hear that you have started the “hands-on work” now. I am really looking forward to see pictures of your model in the future!
Penn Station, NYC. 1993.
Ruth my deAH, I shudda mentioned yesterday that you've agreed to open the place since Cap'n Tom ain't around to do it. So the hours are a bit longer than usual - just stick close to the Manager, ‘n you'll be rewarded accordingly!
Boris, the crittAHs are lined up, so it's feedin' time! Don't forget to take Artie outback for his field mouse <ugh> . . . then after you're through, the small jar of PPF is YOURS!
Ruth my deAH, I'll have a mugga Joe with a jolt, a round for the house ‘n of course the change is for YOU! <grin>
Looks like Da Bossman will be headin' back soon - said he'd be back at the bar tomorrow! How much of a drive is it from Branson to were Cap'n Tom lives No passenger trains runnin' that way anymore I guess - too bad.
I see the Larsman Mobile has pulled up with some covers!
Alco's Northeast
Alco's to Allentown
Railroaders in the Lehigh River Valley
Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Cars
Lehigh Valley, 3 - in Color
Ruth, we've got to attend to those <ahem> admin matters during your break!
Hello Ruth, I would like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, please! Where is manager Lars? Is that right? Admin matter? A quick lunch and at the same time posting a few random pictures I found in the closet last night.
Ottawa, ON. 1993.
Brill Model-55 Combination Car, built 1930. Globe, AZ.
RON Thanks for the drink. Strange how that horoscope was so right for you at this time.
As you say it is indeed amazing how the airlines, on some routes, can keep their fares so low especially in Europe. The thing I have heard from a lot of people lately though is that they used to not mind flying but nowadays they say they hate it. When I go to England there is no alternative but it is something I don't look forward to at all, it is surely is the worst form of transport, unless one is able to travel 1st class.
I was thinking about if gas prices keep their steady rise in price, there is probably going to be more freight transferred from trucks to the railroads which will probably mean a lot more delays to the passenger trains unless Amtrak owns the tracks, not a happy prospect.
YES indeed I do remember the song about the 97 horsepower diesel omnibus by Flanders and Swann, a friend of mine's father had both the Drop of a Hat LPs and we used to listen to them often. Funny enough I have been thinking about the Gas Man Cometh song a bit lately.
Have you heard their song called Slow Train. It is about the closure of branch lines and the stations in England that disappeared in the 1960s under the Beeching plan It is a very sad song, to me, and I think it was to Flanders and Swann as well. I found the lyrics on a web site. It is a bit of a coincidence what we have been talking about at the start of the song, it says, "If God had intended us to fly, He would not have given us the railways".
http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/anotherhat_slow.html
I noticed in the lyrics there is a line still open and some stations still have trains, like Ambergate.
ERIC Have the Keith's on me. After the unexpected delivery of the two boxcars full of Keith's, with BORIS's help, I have had a nice little earner, can't sat too much.
Glad you enjoyed the Midland Red link. I guess color photos of the earlier type of buses built by the company are quite rare. The same company, Ian Allan, who produced books for loco spotters, also issued small books on buses with details of the fleet and the services run. I picked one edition from the 1960s up at a preserved line; I will try and bring it along to the Rendezvous.
http://www.bammot.org.uk/
THis is a great museum that was not too far from my old home with some of the old Midland Red Buses preserved there.. I visited the museum a few years ago now, the highlight was a ride in a 1962 S15 at evening time which still had the original lighting. I had forgotten how dim the lights in the old buses were.
Many thanks for the link to the Hamburg streetcar. An interesting read, it sounds as though Mr. Klebolt was quite a character. I would have loved to have been there when the streetcar turned up in front of the Mayor when she did not expect it. Have you been to the San Francisco Railway Museum.
I wonder if Hamburg regrets getting rid of the streetcars in 1978, as so many cities are putting the trams back.
The bridge a bit farther up the Sacramento River was of the lifting type although I did not manage to get a photo of it operating.
Many thanks for the photos. The Brill M55 looks a great car. Does the railroad at Globe AZ run very far.
LARS I am glad RUTH gets up early to open the bar while TOM is away, if was left to me, I'm afraid, there would be a lot of the Timber yard workers waiting for their breakfast.
I think it is about 200 to 300 miles from Branson to Tom's home, (I still have not got to thinking distances in hours driving yet). I believe there has been talk about running a passenger service from St Louis to Springfield MO, which is to the north of Branson, on the BNSF line, but I have not heard any more about this for quite a while.
Yes The photos I posted on Tom's other site were posted at the bar,I thought it was recent but it was back on the 10-05-2007 on page 121
Good evening Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Leon, I'll have a double cheese burger with curly fries and a large Coke!
Kind of slow day which isn't surprising considering it is the Thanksgiving week. Just one more day to work before four days off.
Lars – Early visit by our Manager! I wonder why so early? Helping Ruth open the place? Hmmm. Some interesting books, as usual! I’ll take the books about Alcos!Pete – That museum has quite a few buses! Interesting. British buses have never been common in Sweden. Stockholm Transit had a bunch of Leylands starting in the late 60’s. They are all gone now. Thanks for the link!Mr. Klebolt certainly was a character! I have never been to SF Railway Museum. I don’t know if the City of Hamburg regrets that they got rid of their streetcars. Globe (copper mine) is at the end of the line and the railroad used to be a part of Southern Pacific’s network.Nice pictures! Especially the one of the CN FPA-4 Alco! But who is that guy in the streetcar? I think I have seen him before.
Atchison, KS. 2007.
<personal foto>
Wednesday's Witticism
On the range, a man's home is apt to be his saddle blanket ‘n the first thing you know, he's moved it to Texas.
G'day Gents!
Home again, home again - jiggety jog! Good to be back ‘n from the looks of things, our stalwarts kept the place open - even had some Sunday activity! Nice going to all who kept "Our" Place in your activities - for every little bit helps ‘round this joint!
Mid-week in mid-continent USA where the temps are expected to drop from the 70s to the 40s (F) - have some much needed rain forecast too. Surely glad I picked up a few zillion more leaves yesterday - after retrieving Juneau from the kennel, unpacking, taking him for a walk, etc.! <ugh>
Ahhhhhh, the smell of freshly ground ‘n brewed coffee sets the stage for some pastries from The Mentor Village Bakery ‘n of course a <light> or <traditional> breakfast!
Comments from the Proprietor:
Planned absences:
CM3 Shane - Nov 19th to 26th - and - Nov 28th to Dec 19th <in ‘n out>
Pete - Nov 22nd to 26th
Per - Nov 21st to 29th
Lars - <uncertain regarding availability>
Now is the time for those of you who frequent this joint to step up with a few words ‘n perhaps a foto during these <down> times . . . doesn't have to be an extravaganza to participate.
Customer Acknowledgments (since my last narrative)
Friday - Nov 16th, 2007:
Eric (EricX2000) at 10:01 AM: Two trolley fotos from Norway!
Pete (pwolfe) at 12:31 PM: Concerned about the ‘dipper,' and all along, Boris had his stashed away in his shed - for safekeeping! <uh oh>
CM3 Shane (coalminer3) at 1:26 PM: Early PM visit with a fine rerun of Schenectady's Last Stand . . . good choice for a bon voyage visit! [tup ]
Pete (pwolfe) at 4:58 PM: 2nd visit with ENCORE! of Classic Steam #38 from Rob . . .
Allan (Gunneral) at 6:39 PM: Our Resident Downunder NZ Kiwi made it in again! Another fine inclusive Post! Was really impressed with the Lancaster bomber I saw at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario during Rendezvous I. Lots of history with those planes . . . That bomber is dedicated to the memory of Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski (Victoria Cross).
Saturday - Nov 17th:
Eric (EricX2000) at 12:39 AM: An inclusive ‘n most interesting Post from our Resident Nocturnal Desert Swede!
Believe it or not, this county almost got serious about linking major metropolitan areas by high-speed rail - thereby hoping to eliminate <or drastically reduce> short distance airplane flights. But <alas> not to be . . . Glad to note that somewhere in this world, "they" are doing it right. <envy>
Lars (LoveDomes) at 8:12 AM: Surprise early Saturday morning visit from the Manager!
Fine ENCORE! from UTB <Red P> and also that spate of NYC diesels helped kick start foto posting day too!
Jan (JanOlov) at 8:14 AM & 11:55 AM & 1:10 PM: An ENCORE! of mine from our Resident Swede in Scotland!
Ahoy Cap'n Tom 'n fellow travelers at the bar!
Great to see Da Bossman made it safely back home 'n to "Our" Place! Figured I'd try to fill in at a different time now that he's back 'n especially since Shane is away too.
Ruth my deAH, I'll have one of those spiked ciders that we brought in for the holdiays! Treats for the crittAHs, a round for house 'n keep the change!
Boris, that small jar of PPF is YOURS, but only after you feed the gang 'n take Artie outback for his field mouse! <ugh>
Thought just crossed my feeble mind: where are the Canadian guys EvAH since Cap'n Tom <tweeted> Fergie, he's pretty much made himself very scarce. And trolleyMAN Rob Said he'd be around for the Nov 11th-12th remembrances, but . . . . So, we're now without any north of the 49th representatives. So be it - we'll just turn this joint into a British - Swedish - American bar!
With a housefull for Thanksgiving, I'm only gonna be able to drop off some covAHs, then sorry to say - I must skedaddle! Of course I'll make the time for YOU, Ruth . . . when is your break <grin> <blush>
Covers from the Larsman Mobile . . .
Lehigh Valley, 2 - in Color
CNJ/LV Color Guide to Freight & Passenger Equipment
Lehigh Valley, 4 - in Color
Trackside around Sayre-Towanda-Waverly
Trackside around New Jersey
Really not sure about tomorrow, so for all of youse guyz celebrating Thanksgiving - have a happy! With three pro-NFL games on, should be a "gudun"!
Good afternoon Captain Tom and Gentlemen!!
Ruth, I'll just have a Keith's for now. Can't stay.
Just stopped by to say Welcome Home to the Captain and the mrs. I am sure Juneau is a very happy dog today.
Brought a few pictures to post.
First the only Fairbanks-Morse I have in a picture. It's a H-12-44. Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Now at Orange Empire Railway Museum.
A Birney Safety Car.
“Hollywood car” #716, Pacific Electric.
A round please RUTH to celebrate TOM's return.
ERIC In the 1970s the Leyland ‘National' buses seemed very common in Britain, I think the National formed the basis of the railcars built for British Rail as we have talked about at the bar.
I do hope I can get back to San Francisco one day as there a is a great deal to see and tramways to ride on.
Is the line at Globe AZ still used to serve the copper mine and the Brill car running tourist trains at the weekends or is it just a tourist line now.
The caboose at Atchison looks a fairly modern one, thanks for the photo.
I noticed Manager Lars never said anything about yesterday's early start with RUTH.
Many thanks for the photos from the Orange Empire Railway Museum. I guess there aren't many of those Fairbanks Morse locomotives in preservation. The PE Hollywood car looks an interesting vehicle, I wonder what the top speed of those cars was,it looks capable of a fair turn of speed.
LARS Those spiked ciders will go very well with the turkey.
Many thanks for the Lehigh Valley and the New Jersey bookcovers from the Larsman Mobile. I see the LV emblem was a flag, I was thinking there was not many railways that had a flag as an emblem.
RON. Thanks for the drink the food you are preparing for tomorrow sounds delicious.
I had not realized the flight to Chile was so long, a lot longer than from New York to England.
TOM Great to have the boss back. I bet JUNEAU was real pleased to see you, it seems the weather waited until you got back before turning rainy.
On one of my earlier visits we did visit the Silver Dollar City near Branson, the bride worked there a couple of summers in the college break. We were going to go on the railway at Branson but for some reason I can't remember we could not go on it at that time. I did get a ride on the train that runs in Silver Dollar City and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a real steam locomotive. I will look forward to your photos from the Branson trip sounds a great time in the Silver Garden Dome Car.
I guessed those photos were from the time of the Pennsy NYC merger it was a shame to see the Pennsy red locomotives painted black.
I'm afraid I have to agree with you about the St Louis to Springfield MO passenger service, although the line does not seem too busy with freight traffic. Even if a service did run I wonder about the travel time by rail compared by road with the I-44 paralleling the line.
Glad you enjoyed the pics.
Yes it is 40 years today that Sgt Pepper taught the band play.
A few model photos
At the Sacramento Railroad museum.
At Union Station in Kansas City, setting up for this years layout.
Well off to the bride's family in a while. Thanks for the good wishes for Thanksgiving.
MAY I WISH ALL THE REGULARS AND THEIR FAMILIES ALL THE BEST FOR THANKSGIVING.
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