Bear, that's just the kind of Sunday morning video that this "Batcave" coffee drinker enjoys. Those machines are impressive indeed, although the thought of driving one of those as a career sends shivers down my spine. Back and forth day in and day out would have me insane in short order. I hope they get paid large sums for that duty.
Found this trailer video in the deep dark depths of You-Tube.
My grandfather had something to do with looking after the locomotive fleet out of Winnipeg for CN. He said that in 1939 when Canada declared war on Germany he didn't sleep a wink until all the boys were home in 1946. He said he basically lived at work.
You can see the dirty (weathered) condition of the CP loco's and rolling stock in the video. I remember Gramps telling me that he didn't think anything got washed or had proper maintenance once the war started. Nothing stop long enough to make it so.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Whoops I wonder where Jeffreys photo went? I'll see if I can put him back. Photobucket has not been kind to me this week.
Another great video Bear. Now everytime I see tons of black smoke spewing out of a Loco, I'll be thinking, bad fireman, bad fireman.
Now I know how to fire a steamer, maybe I'll build one out in the garage! Then again, maybe not.
I really liked seeing how they cast the wheels.
The picture of Jeffrey is still there for me, and also even opens larger when I click on it.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Bear. A lot of Railroad workers lost their lives in the war, on all sides. The longest stretch I ever stayed awake was about 50 hours. That was a walk in the park compared to what our Grandparents went through in the war. I could write pages on the stories I've been told. I had some old Cousins that worked for the RR in G.B. and did hear the stories of them being attacked by the Luftwaffe.
This is an excellent film of the dreadful times they went through.
So todays installment is to help satisfy our friendly Bears nocturnal habits of being able to hunt down answers to the question at hand.
So here it is. What is the funny looking thing that the Loco is pushing (or pulling) across the trestle???? Why is it shaped like it is????? And why should Dr. Wayne want to build one.
And further more, even though I am not afraid of heights, I would not be standing on the tender like the guy in the photo.
BATMANSo todays installment is to help satisfy our friendly Bears nocturnal habits of being able to hunt down answers to the question at hand.
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cpr_rolling/one.htm
Here's a couple more photos.....
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/cp422027.jpg
See page 21 on this PDF......http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no324_1979.pdf
That British Railways in WWll was interesting. My Dad was going to school in Birmingham, GB at that time and two late friends of the same era, who I met at the local club; one lived in Coventry, the other Hamburg.
Pure speculation:
A pile driver with a enclosed mechanism, pushing an idler flatcar. However, there is no tender for the machine in question. Could it use steam from the locomotive?
Tom
BATMAN So todays installment is to help satisfy our friendly Bears nocturnal habits of being able to hunt down answers to the question at hand. So here it is. What is the funny looking thing that the Loco is pushing (or pulling) across the trestle???? Why is it shaped like it is????? And why should Dr. Wayne want to build one. And further more, even though I am not afraid of heights, I would not be standing on the tender like the guy in the photo.
I wonder if it has anything to do with tunnel boring? The protrusion on the roof could be a stack, indicating a boiler within the enclosure. Or perhaps it's a not-yet-completed snow blower?
And I'm not all that interested in building one - looks like it pre-dates my layout's era by about 40 years.
Wayne
Well Wayne. I think it would make for an interesting item sitting on your "Rest In Peaces" track. That way it would fit your era. Isn't it great that we are planning out all your future builds for you?
Bear I remember where I have seen you before. I was riding my mountain bike along a RR service road that was between the CPR mainline and the Kicking horse river about fifty Kms. East of Revelstoke. There you were skinny dipping down in the river! Or maybe you were fishing. Anyway I didn't stop to say hi and thought it wise to start pedaling a wee bit faster at that point.
As far as the car in question is concerned I searched on the B.C. Gov Archives and the City of Vancouver Archives and every time I put a search in I ended up with about 10,000 to 20,000 photo hits on the subject. Being a guy that loves to look at all these old photo's, needless to say I was often sidetracked. I don't think it is a piledriver as I could not find another one with all the pile driver searches I did. I think it is possibly a winch used for hoisting up or lowering down poles for the bents as the trestle is being built.
After all my searching yesterday, I have a collection for today. Taking advantage of those Tax dollars you might say.
I always thought a trestle under construction would be a great scene on a layout. I think it is McFunkey Monkey that has a bridge under construction scene that I always admired.
BATMAN Well Wayne. I think it would make for an interesting item sitting on your "Rest In Peaces" track. That way it would fit your era. Isn't it great that we are planning out all your future builds for you?
Yeah, it's great to not have to worry about running out of projects.
BATMAN
Reminds me of Elmer Fudd, sawing off the branch on which he's sitting. "Be vewy, vewy quiet: we're hunting wabbits.":
Brent, I must compliment you on your wide-ranging choice of subjects for this thread - the possibilities are endless.
Holy Jules Verne Bear. I guess all good ideas eventually come to fruition.
I had thought of the car in question as possibly being a track laying machine, however I also have not found anything else relating to the car. Some day the answer will just show up, most likely when hunting down information on something totally unrelated.
doctorwayneBrent, I must compliment you on your wide-ranging choice of subjects for this thread - the possibilities are endless. Wayne
Thanks Wayne. Someone once asked Jerry Seinfeld what his new TV show was about and his reply was "it's a show about nothing". Kinda like this thread, "it's a thread about nothing".
BATMANSome day the answer will just show up, most likely when hunting down information on something totally unrelated.
How about icing the the cars where they have yet to build an ice house????? A special situation for a rare or one time cargo. But what is it???? The cargo I mean.
Edit: Maybe they are loading grain where an elevator has yet to be built?
doctorwayne Brent, I must compliment you on your wide-ranging choice of subjects for this thread - the possibilities are endless.
Personally, I find this thread totally useless, a thread about nothing....
....but I like it.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotraina thread about nothing....
Rich.
Don't you have something about nothing to contribute?
BATMANEdit: Maybe they are loading grain where an elevator has yet to be built?
BATMAN richhotrain a thread about nothing.... Rich. Don't you have something about nothing to contribute?
richhotrain a thread about nothing....
Here is a photo of the ATSF servicing facility in Chicago, just south of Dearborn Station.
In the photo, you can see the turntable, roundhouse, and sand towers. Behind the sand towers, you can see a concrete structure with some metal rigging attached to it. What is it?
Tough one Rich. Is it part of a conveyer system to bring in coal from a remote location? There doesn't seem to be a lot of room to be bringing in hoppers.
Bear, there is a video on the tube about the first efforts of trying to ship fresh produce across the continent. They were not too successful at first and had to arrange for some hastily built icing facilities along the way. They looked a lot like the grain version you showed us. I will try to find the video as it was really interesting even though it was mostly still shots they showed with narration.
Building a broken down dilapidated wagon platform like the one in the photo would make for an interesting scene just down the track from an elevator. I could see the remnants of one still being in place.
BATMAN Tough one Rich. Is it part of a conveyer system to bring in coal from a remote location? There doesn't seem to be a lot of room to be bringing in hoppers.
richhotrain I have searched for an answer for years without finding it, so I really don't know what structure is in the photo.
Caption: “Power for the Chiefs. Line up of new power at the Santa Fe coach yard in Chicago.”
February 2, 1938
Photo by William Ranke
Well Rich, I was going to ask if the area was all condo's now, however I went to Google Earth and got my answer. I then used the "time shift" feature that warped me back as far as 1999 and it was gone by that point in time as well. Have you tried City or State online Archives to see if any more photo's exist?
There was usually a steam plant associated with a roundhouse and I am wondering if that black thing with the platfoms around it could be a small chimney of somesort. There is also a smaller arch of piping at the left end of the roundhouse behind the Loco.
I was also wondering about the orientation of the water tower but figured that out with Google Earth.
Bear loved the video. Getting the shops ready for production and then only building two must have increased the cost of them. Here is a pic of 3101 as she stands today
Link.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/Locopicture.aspx?id=113728
I consider Ulrich the German Attache to the forum. I think we need answers from him on this video! I mean Germans are to Railroads what Canadians are to hockey! Ulrich what's your excuse!
BATMAN .......however I went to Google Earth and got my answer.
Interesting video Bear. It's funny how the Army has a harder time getting their trains off the track than some of us modelers have keeping them on the track. It was also interesting to see how the loaded (weighted) cars jumped the "gap" better.
In this photo, you can see a small wheeled piece of equipment next to the track. If you enlarge the pic, you can see a small piece of equipment in front of the wheel of this thing, sitting on the ground. Their also appears to be a wire running back under the track. Is it a counter of some sort? Also, would the wheeled thing carry a person or be towed behind a speeder or something else.
http://www.okthepk.ca/dataCprSiding/articles/200901/hill00.htm