Good morning all. A day of rain and very little sunshine.
Kevin. It sounds a good deal regarding the price for the work to be done. Especially as you can see his previous work.
I received a few 'fiddly items' for the model railroad. They are little items that will add to little scenes I do. They need painting etc. so that's a job for the coming week.
Coffee time with muffins. The blueberry and apple one is mine.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning, diners. I'll have coffee, bacon, and eggs. And more coffee.
I can't personally respond to all the diners who are having health or family issues. I hope you know that you have friends in the diner who are thinking of you and supporting you.
I just got back from having the kids and grandkids for a week in Florida. While not exactly the kind of train we model here, it was pretty neat to come out of your hotel room each morning to see a monorail gliding through the lobby. This was the view of the lobby from our room's door:
The Germany exhibit even had a fairly large garden train layout:
The kids and grandkids were all extending the vacation a while in St. Pete. Kevin, I'm not sure how far away the Tradewinds Hotel is from you. They all meet there every-so-often for beach time. I didn't go to the beach this time -- it was time for me to get home.
Ed, I've got to comment on your posts. I absolutely love those old Empire Builder's ashtrays! I even checked Ebay. They had one for $700, which means I will just admire them in pictures.
It's good to be back in the diner. I've got a lot of forum posts to read through today. Have a good day, everyone!
York1 John
Good Morning All,
Just a to go please Zoe. Hopefully my run of Mondays is done for now though I have my doubts. Still no word from the sellers lawyer about the title but we are hopeful. David if you make an extra blueberry goodie next time, I'm in.
Kevin - I think brush and roller is better than a spray rig. Especially if you have breezes a lot. I used to run the shop at a place called Mecca Development and it was at the barn behind the owners house. He hired a painting crew I reffered to as Larry Darryl and Darryl after the Newhart comedy show (beecause the head honcho was indeed named Larry). They showed up with a commercial spray rig and some tarps and proceeded to paint the house New England white. They also managed to paint the barn, the breezeway the lawn, the driveway and every car at the shop the same white as they kept going on a windy day. I had parked at the back of the barn so any paint that I got was large droplets the wind could carry that far. I ended up with a brown speckled white Fiesta not unlike a birds egg. They were going to fix everything but when i saw them heading for the bosses Corvette with sandpaper I put a stop to it. Fortunately the cars were fixed with a wipe down of mineral spirits and a buff out but the moral of the story is roller good - spray rig bad. Time to head back into the shop. Ciao, J.R.
Good Morning everyone!
John: I stayed in the Walt Disney Contemporary Resort about ten years ago when the International Plastic Model Society had their convention there. I really enjoyed the monorail views.
The Tradewinds Resort in Saint Petersburg is about three hours North of my location. I hope the Spring Break up there is better than it is down here.
GOOD NEWS! Florida has just lowered the age again for Covid-19 vaccination again, so I am now in the approved group. Hopefully I will be vaccinated soon, and I can hit the road in a couple of months and hopefully visit some fellow human beings again.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Howdy .....
Thanks again, everybody, for thoughtul comments and words of encouragement.
I actaully ran some trains on the layout. .... Two Burlington passenger trains with E-units (of course). ... One Burlington freight train with SD24's. ..... One Great Northern freight train with GP'7s.
Everybody: ........ Have a good afternoon.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
I hope that running trains was a good way to keep your spirits up, Garry!
More great photos from the Underwood collection:
Thomas Underwood Coll B&O614 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
Martinsburg, W. Va. 1959.
Thomas Underwood Coll B&O542 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
Tnuuelton, W. Va. 1965.
Thomas Underwood Coll B&O550 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
Dundon W. Va. 1960
I finally called the John Deere dealer to ask about an update to my Feb. 5th order. Oh, yes, your tractor came in. But the snow blower hasn't arrived yet.
Any chance I take delivery of the tractor and come back for the snow blower sometime later?
Sure, if you want to.
This is supposed to be good customer service? Why not give me a call or email and keep me up-to-date? Hadn't occurred to them?
C'est La Vie... Ed
Good Evening,
Garry, running trains is a good sign.
Ed, great photos!
We hit 55F today and supposed to be over 60 tomorrow which is more than 30 degrees above normal. Only a few small patches of ice in the backyard. It is heavily treed. Very dry here. We will need rain in April.
You sure have to be careful with ebay. There is a vanhobbies cnr k5a hudson the seller says was professionally painted. I would strip it and repaint, it is so poorly done, orange peel and running gear painted black. The local brass expert would charge $300 to do such an engine if it was unpainted due to the colours involved.
Nothing new here. Grocery run today and out for a few small pickups tomorrow. Think I'll get the car washed. That is my exciting life these days.
CN Charlie
Heartland Division CB&QI actaully ran some trains on the layout.
This is great news to hear. I am so happy you are feeling better.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
How many of our friends in the southern US and around the world know what a 'Ski-Doo' is? If you answered "snowmobile" you would be correct.
How many of you know that the maker of Ski-Doos went on to become one of the largest manufacturers of transportation equipment in the world. The company is called Bombardier, and it started in Quebec, Canada.
Among many other things, Bombardier has made thousands of passenger coaches and commuter train cars, although I couldn't determine how many Diners they made, if any. They had factories all over the world.
Here is a brief history of the company, some good, some not so good:
Bombardier Inc. is a manufacturer of private airplanes that was once among the world’s largest manufacturers of trains and commercial airplanes. Headquartered in Montreal, the company was originally incorporated as L’Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in 1942. Its founder, Joseph-Armand Bombardier, was a Québécois mechanical engineer who invented one of the first commercially viable snowmobiles. Bombardier Inc. grew considerably from its beginnings as a snowmobile manufacturer into an iconic Canadian company, known for its public transportation vehicles and jetliners. Facing financial troubles in the 21st century, however, it began to sell off parts of its business. In 2020, it made deals to sell the last of its assets outside its private-jet business, including its commercial plane and rail divisions.
In the 1920s, an American inventor patented the term snowmobile after he devised tracks and skis that fit onto Ford Model T and Model A cars, converting them into early snowmobiles. However, these snowmobiles were heavy and slow. During the 1920s and beginning at age 15, Joseph-Armand Bombardier also began developing a car-based snowmobile design. His desire to create vehicles that could move easily in the snow was shaped by the fact that he lived in the small town of Valcourt, Quebec, where winter snowfall was heavy and roads were not systemically cleared. This rural isolation turned tragic when, in 1934, Bombardier’s son Yvon died after his appendix burst and the family was unable to reach a hospital. The event further motivated Bombardier to develop a vehicle that could travel through snow.
By 1935, Bombardier had created a track system that turned with sprockets, or toothed wheels, which connected to and rotated the track. The sprocket, still on the Bombardier Recreational Products company logo today, enabled the creation of the seven passenger B7 auto-neiges in 1936. Along with the more efficient sprocket and track system, the B7 had a lightweight cabin, a new rear suspension system and improved weight distribution. The B7 found customers among clergy, postmen, army officers and travelling doctors. Bombardier set up a new factory in his hometown in 1941 and the following year incorporated L’Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée. Many of Bombardier’s family members were major shareholders in the new company. Family shaped Bombardier’s operations for much of its history.
In 1949, Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis began a rural road clearing program, reducing demand for snowmobiles. To contend with this slump in sales, the company created the Muskeg tractor, an all-terrain vehicle that could be used at isolated forestry, mining and oil work sites. Further, Joseph-Armand Bombardier continued to refine his snowmobile models in order to create a smaller recreational snowmobile (see Snowmobiling). He drew on advances in engine design, allowing for an engine small and powerful enough to drive a single or two-passenger vehicle he called the Ski-Doo. Launched in 1959, within four years Ski-Doo sales increased from 225 to 8,210, and the Valcourt factory expanded.
After this success, Bombardier died of stomach cancer in 1964. The firm’s presidency went to his son, Germain, who resigned within two years. Joseph-Armand’s son-in-law, Laurent Beaudoin, took over the company in 1966. Germain’s resignation was controversial. Beaudoin, who holds a Master of Commerce, contended that Germain lacked the managerial temperament or education required for the job, but rumours persisted that he pushed Germain out. Beaudoin remained the chief executive — almost uninterrupted — until 2008, and was instrumental in furthering the company’s diversification efforts. The firm changed its name to Bombardier Ltd. in 1967, reflecting Beaudoin’s ambition to expand the company beyond snow vehicles.
Marketing and engine refinements to the Ski-Doo contributed to the company’s revenue growth between 1964 and 1972, from $10 million to $183 million. During this period, the firm purchased the Austrian tram building firm Lohnerwerke GmbH, in 1970. Lohnerwerke’s subsidiary, Rotax, made motors for Ski-Doos. However, in 1973, sales abruptly declined due to a spike in oil prices (see Commodity Trading) and a series of winters with little snow. These challenges contributed to CEO Laurent Beaudoin’s desire to further diversify the company’s products.
In 1974, with encouragement from Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau and train building expertise from its Lohnerwerke subsidiary, Bombardier won the contract for 423 Montreal Metro cars for the city, to be built at the recently purchased facility in La Pocatière, Quebec. To further increase its manufacturing capacity, Bombardier took over the Montreal-based locomotive manufacturer Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in 1975. The Quebec provincial government facilitated the purchase by providing Bombardier with financial assistance. With this deal, the role of state money grew in significance for Bombardier’s operations, a trend that would persist through all of its expansions.
A strike by the Confédération des syndicats nationaux local in La Pocatière, lasting from 2 December 1975 to 20 April 1976, complicated the metro car contract. Workers protested limited wage increases during a period of major inflation, and expressed concerns about who the company was promoting on the shop floor. Delays led to Bombardier delivering only some of the cars in time for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
Meanwhile, poor management and labour trouble also beset the MLW plant in Montreal, including a lockout of 600 United Steelworker employees during the summer of 1977 and a six-month strike of 1,000 employees during 1979. Grand ambitions for the plant’s Light Rapid Comfortable (LRC) train cars, including a significant VIA Rail purchase, were dashed by persistent mechanical issues, and Bombardier shuttered the entire plant in the mid-1980s.
Orders from North American cities for public light rail and subway cars cushioned the losses from MLW. Following these successes, the company won a contract from the New York Metro Transit Authority for 825 subway cars in 1982. The order, valued at around $1 billion, was the largest single export sale by a Canadian manufacturer. It was facilitated by two things that were important parts of Bombardier’s operations: assistance from the Canadian government to help finance the deal, and use of another company’s expertise — in this case, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a firm with personal transport, trains, shipbuilding, aerospace and other interests. The company also joined a trend of sending managers to Japan to learn about factory operations and managerial techniques.
The success of the New York bid, which sparked orders from other North American cities, including cars for Vancouver’s SkyTrain, encouraged the company to expand its public transport capacity. The company identified Europe as a key market, given the importance of mass transit for most European countries. In 1986, Bombardier began to gradually absorb the Belgian railcar manufacturer BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques. The company continued to buy European rail firms, culminating in the $1.1-billion purchase of Germany-based Adtranz from DaimlerChrysler in 2001, making it one of the three largest train manufacturers in the world.
In 1986, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s government sought to privatize the federally owned aerospace firm Canadair. Bombardier initiated the purchase for four reasons: CEO Laurent Beaudoin’s constant interest in diversification, the relatively low purchase price (about $140 million), the prospect of owning and developing Canadair’s well-regarded Challenger jets, and the opportunity to use its new aeronautic expertise to secure contracts for maintaining Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets (see Military Aviation). When the Mulroney government awarded Bombardier the CF-18 contract over the bid of the Winnipeg-based subsidiary of Bristol Aerospace, long-held western suspicions of federal preference for eastern industrial development over western interests re-emerged. For years, the Reform Party and Canadian Alliance, both with considerable power in the West, would claim that Bombardier was a beneficiary of corporate welfare and federal favouritism for Quebec.
Following the Canadair purchase, Bombardier continued looking for value in struggling aerospace companies. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government sought to privatize the Northern Ireland aerospace company Shorts in 1989, and Bombardier moved quickly to bid, offering $60 million. The company sought to acquire some of Shorts’ regional jet expertise (i.e., small, short-haul aircraft) and was encouraged by British government assurances that they would help fund the modernization of the plant, among other benefits.
Along with entering the commercial and military aerospace markets, Bombardier expanded into the private jet market with its 1990 purchase of Kansas-based Learjet for $75 million. Keeping with its tendency to accumulate other companies’ expertise, Bombardier kept much of Learjet intact, making only moderate adjustments to the firm’s managerial practices.
In 1992, Bombardier acquired aircraft manufacturer de Havilland Canada from another aircraft company, Boeing. De Havilland was particularly known for its Dash 8 commuter airplanes, complementing Bombardier’s regional jet production. Government contributions, including a 49 per cent equity stake in the firm purchased by the Ontario government, further facilitated the deal. By 1997, Bombardier transformed these government-supported purchases into about a 50 per cent share of the global regional jet market.
Following Bombardier’s significant expansion, CEO Laurent Beaudoin strained to manage the massive company. Under the direction of his executive vice president, Dr. Yvan Allaire, the firm restructured the management of its five operating groups in 1996 — aerospace, rail transportation, recreational products, international markets and financial services — each one getting its own president and chief operating officer. The relatively small Montreal headquarters, with about 150 employees, oversaw the five groups, but each unit was given considerable independence for making operational decisions.
Originally, the financial services arm of the company, Bombardier Capital, primarily concerned itself with arranging financing for snowmobile dealers. Inspired by how General Electric’s financial services unit, GE Capital, had expanded into financing a wide range of activities, Vice President Yvan Allaire led Bombardier Capital’s expansion into ventures unrelated to its core transportation businesses. These ventures included offering mortgages for high-risk, prefabricated home development, concentrated in Texas and South Carolina. However, this expansion failed, as many people who took on these mortgages were unable to pay their loans and investors found Bombardier’s mortgage business increasingly unappealing. Following this episode, by 2001 Bombardier had largely withdrawn from the mortgage market, having lost $663 million in company value.
Following the 2001 purchase of German train manufacturer Adtranz, Bombardier Transportation discovered they had underestimated the company’s costs and overestimated its assets, leading to a dispute between Bombardier and Adtranz’s parent company, DaimlerChrysler. During the purchase negotiations, DaimlerChrysler had refused to allow Bombardier to directly contact Adtranz’s management, since the two firms were still in direct competition, but Bombardier went through with the purchase anyway. In 2004, the two firms agreed to shave about $300 million from Bombardier’s original $1.1-billion purchase.
At the same time, Bombardier Aerospace struggled with stiff competition from the Brazilian company Embraer, and from a decline in the overall market following the 11 September 2001 attacks by the terrorist group al Qaeda in the United States (see 9/11 and Canada).
The company found itself in considerable trouble after two decades of rapid growth. Paul Tellier, the former Clerk of the Privy Council Office and CEO of Canadian National Railway, became CEO of Bombardier in January 2003. He undertook an aggressive program of downsizing, eliminating 3,000 aerospace jobs in Canada and Northern Ireland, 6,500 rail jobs in Europe, and closing down Bombardier Capital.
Seeking to improve the company cash flow, Tellier also decided to sell off the products that started the company. After considerable debate, he sold the recreational vehicle division in 2003, including the iconic Ski-Doo snowmobiles and popular Sea-Doo watercrafts. The Bombardier/Beaudoin family decided to purchase a 35 per cent stake in the new Bombardier Recreational Products company, which sold for nearly $1 billion. The firm is based in Valcourt.
Having made those controversial decisions, Paul Tellier left the CEO post in December 2004, and Laurent Beaudoin retook the position, eventually passing it to his son Pierre in 2008. In 2015, leadership transferred again, this time to Alain Bellemare — former executive at American aerospace and defence company UTC Propulsion and Aerospace, and only the second non-family member to run Bombardier. Under Bellemare’s direction, the company embarked on a five-year turnaround plan that saw it sell off significant parts of its business to reduce debt.
For several years, Bombardier continued to service national railways, including a major sale of 660 cars to a British rail operator in August 2016. It also remained involved in regional and municipal public transportation, including significant contracts with Ontario’s Metrolinx and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The Metrolinx and TTC contracts — for light rail vehicles and streetcars throughout the Greater Toronto Area — tested Bombardier’s reputation, as it missed several delivery deadlines. In 2016, the company’s woes were also reflected in a series of layoff announcements, beginning with 7,000 job cuts announced in February followed by another 7,500 announced in October.
In November 2018, a consortium of Bombardier and French train manufacturer Alstom received a $447.7-million contract to build 153 train cars for the Montreal Metro. The deal was crucial to the survival of Bombardier’s plant in La Pocatière, Quebec, where nearly 170 of its employees built the AZUR-model cars.
In February 2020, Bombardier reached a multi-billion-dollar deal to sell its rail division to Alstom. The announcement came within a week of Bombardier’s agreement to sell off its last stake in commercial aviation. With these decisions, CEO Alain Bellemare aimed to pay down debt and focus the company’s activities on the manufacture of private jets.
Under Bellemare’s direction, Bombardier’s aerospace business has also faced challenges and been downsized to pay off debt. Its C Series line of passenger aircraft, hailed for being larger and more efficient than other aircraft on the market, was plagued by cost overruns and delivery delays. In an effort to support the ailing project, the Quebec government gave Bombardier $1 billion in financing in 2015. While the company originally planned to deliver customers 15 aircraft in 2016, only one plane had been delivered by June. By September, the company announced it would only meet about half its 2016 delivery goals.
In September 2017, the C Series jetliner became the subject of international trade disputes. The United States levied a 219 per cent duty on C Series imports after American company Boeing complained to the US Department of Commerce that Bombardier had sold the planes to Delta Air Lines at an unfair advantage because Bombardier received government subsidies for the C Series. Meanwhile, the World Trade Organization announced it would establish a panel to investigate allegations by Brazilian company Embraer that Bombardier’s C Series program received unfair advantage from its government subsidies.
In October 2017, Airbus, a multinational aerospace corporation, bought a majority stake in the C Series program. In the deal, an Airbus plant in Mobile, Alabama, was repurposed for C Series assembly, which circumvented the large duty levied in September. Program headquarters remained in Montreal and Airbus was given the opportunity to buy the remaining stake in the program from Bombardier and the Quebec government. Airbus renamed the jetliner A220.
Bombardier continued to sell parts of its aerospace business. In November 2018, it announced the sale of its Q Series turboprop passenger aircraft program to Viking Air of Sidney, British Columbia. The US$300-million deal also gave Viking Air the rights to the de Havilland name and trademark, which Bombardier had owned since 1992. At the same time, Bombardier announced the sale of its business aircraft training activities to Montreal-based flight training company CAE for US$645 million. On top of these changes, Bombardier revealed it would lay off 5,000 employees: 2,500 in Quebec, 500 in Ontario and 2,000 outside Canada. The job cuts amounted to more than 7 per cent of the company’s workforce.
In June 2019, Japan-based Mitsubishi bought Bombardier’s CRJ regional jet business. In February 2020, Bombardier sold its remaining stake in the A220 program to Airbus and the Quebec Government. With these deals, the company shed the last parts of its commercial plane-making business after three decades in the market. Bellemare declared his turnaround plan complete and said Bombardier would concentrate on growing its private jet business.
I'll cut this post off here, but I will try to find some pictures of Bombardier passenger cars.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Evening from Sunny La Crosse Wisconsin. At least it has been the last two days and nights and we're staying two more.
Sunset out our Radisson window
The silhouette of the step climbs of the Bluffs
The Ski Doo Bombardier, Are you Kidding me! First Snowmobile I ever drove by myself. My dad had one and us Kids called it the Snow Bumblebee, ...Nice! I did appreciate the vintage snowmobile like that, although the Arctic Cat Cheetah 440 was a bit more exciting in the later years.
We should be getting back to the homestead Sunday night or Monday morning.
Good to touch base with you guys from our little getaway. I'll be visiting the Burlington 4-6-4 tomorrow and perhaps a picture from the Historic La Crosse Railroad Station.
If Judy didn't have to work Tuesday, I'd be thinking about renting a boat as I've seen a few out
TF
hon30critterHow many of our friends in the southern US and around the world know what a 'Ski-Doo' is? If you answered "snowmobile" you would be correct.
Not me. I am not even 100% sure what snow is.
It all seems very silly to me.
Poor Amtrak — again
Regards, Ed
Good morning all. A day of sunshine.
Garry. Glad to hear from you.
Dawn had a bad night last night. We hardly slept at all. As we say here "There are worse things at sea."
A day of being around the house; hopefully running some trains later.
I need a few cups of coffee.
One of our most important members has gone missing.
Byron was a very helpful track planner, and was always ready to add good advice to discussion of model railroad planning.
His profile just says "no activity", so I do not know how long he has been gone.
I hope he is still out there and everything is OK.
We got our 2nd vaccine today. Things were better organized than the first. Too early to tell about side effects.
Kevin if you click on the number of his posts, you will find Byron last posted 2/24. It looks like he did not post between November and this January so maybe he just got tired of people who ignored his advice.
His personal website is still up, although that doesn't necessarily mean anything. It does have a contact page.
I have neighbors with daffodils in bloom but not mine.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good evening all. I managed to get Dawn out for a couple of hours drive in the sunny countryside. She is much happier.
We had our first jab the end of January. Our second one is expected in April?
BigDaddy Byron. It looks like he did not post between November and this January so maybe he just got tired of people who ignored his advice.
Byron.
It looks like he did not post between November and this January so maybe he just got tired of people who ignored his advice.
I find it puizzling how some people ask for help and have others doing work for them. Then do not return any thanks. It does become disheartening. As it is often said 'Been there'.
Halloumi Cheese Burger with Chimichurri Mayo and Wedges.
Stay Safe Everyone.
Good afternoon, diner patrons. It's about as perfect out as it can be.
First day of Spring! After the winter we had, it is welcome. Of course, every year, we don't really celebrate until after the usual April snowstorm.
I'm going to finally start soldering wires and resistors for the layout's crossing signals. For some reason, I have put this off until it now seems overwhelming. Maybe it's a fear that once I've done all the work, I'll turn on the power and it won't work. That's happened more than I will tell you.
Last year, my wife and I bought our cemetery plots, bought the headstone, and began planning. I wrote out my funeral desires, obituary, etc., but my wife didn't. She is now working on hers. Hopefully, these won't be used for quite a few more years. Writing the obituary just about guarantees that the daughters won't write anything about what a nerd I am or how bad things got when I cooked food for them or combed their hair.
Have a great first day of Spring!
"The City of Portland". The way passenger trains are supposed to look:
Hello Railfans!
Top of the morning to yas! We have an ultra bright, welders goggles wearing day today. Must be warm, the next door neighbor is out mowing the grass. I dunno personally yet, havent gone outside and stuck a wet finger in the air. Ill let you guess which ones though 20% of you would be right!
Ed) Amazing the thing humans do for fun. I mean, and as the video quotes, "they all took out their phones and started recording". Im thinking, "and not one idiot within a miles reach decided to use their phone to call the number on the crossbucks and alert the train there was an obstruction on the tracks". Nor did the contractor who got the truck stuck!
Ofcourse we did have the gratuitous statement - "and experts say it takes a train a mile to stop .... (blah blah blah)". Yet, the accident still happened. Its funny how this is the only thing humans know about trains.
On the lighter side, when that JD of yours hits the back yard, shoot us some pics. I grew up on JD's - nothing runs like a Deere! (cept maybe a Lima)
NorthBrit David) Glad you guys got out for a few smiles. But do take it easy, things still arent right out in the world. BTW, loved the 'junkyard' scene on your layout. The 'cluttered' look caught my eye. Well done!
Kevin) I sure hope that pic of a stack of ties is from your backyard. In hopes that your gonna suprise us by saying your buying a caboose?
Garry) Glad to see your posting and much better to hear your running trains. Best medicine there is - better than laughter!
Charlie) WOW! $300 to repaint brass? Is that a modellers price? I imagine that would be about the price of the model too. While i have absolutely nothing against brass, i just dont think i will ever reach that level of modelling.
Then again, i just saw a pre-Moses Mantua floating in the 'Bay' for $1000. It needed a paint job too....
Critter Dave) Impressive article on Bombardier. Never really thought about it, but yeah, theyve got their fingers into just about everything.
We have more 'Sea doos' down here than 'Ski doos', but we know what they are. The yahoos that have them here run them on tall grass. Either for jumping or just racing them.
Hillbillys dont need snow i guess. Just beer..... mud.... and an audience.
Big Daddy) Trees are budding here and some kinda purply looking ground cover is blooming in the sunny spots. And we still have nights close to freezing if not a degree or two below.
In General) Somehow it was managed that my two recent purchases arrived early. And in one piece too! I did my usual maintenance routine on the 4015 (TyCo) and man does she run nice for an old school growler. While she shows very little wear shes broken in smooth.
She managed to pull 20 cars right off the bat. I use the old Tech II stuff which had GREAT momentum throttles. My new 4015 ran just like old leather.
And ofcourse, who can forget that smell from running 'old school' models? That brings back alot of memories, aye? Something ive noticed the new models dont have.
The 0-6-0 is also in pristine shape. Cant figure why it has no motor unless the original owner blew it. Still though, this lil ticker looks good and i cant wait to remotor it.
I threw her in the train when i was testing the 4015. I figure this would add another 5 to7 cars in pull weight. Not only did the lil 0-6-0 track just fine, 4015 pulled all of that! Totally impressed with this two axle powered, light weighted, non flywheel havin, ..... TyCo!
Oh yeah, the headlight still worked too - at 12 volts! Remember those dim bulbs that didnt start glowing until you reached race track speeds around the XMas tree?
Well folks, thats about all from my side of the tracks. It sounds pretty mean outside the front door in every direction, volcanos erupting here, revolts and coups there, COVID everywhere.... so yall take care in what you do. Remember, the best antidote to it all is....
STAY INSIDE AND RUN TRAINS ALL DAY!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
PM Railfan "and not one idiot within a miles reach decided to use their phone to call the number on the crossbucks and alert the train there was an obstruction on the tracks". Nor did the contractor who got the truck stuck!
I've always been interested in these types of "accidents" and contenplate what could have been done to mitigate, or even avoid them.
When I hear the word "contractor" I immediately get nervous. The truck operator, contracted by U. P. should have at least had some training for working around the railroad. Maybe they did?
At the very least, as soon as they knew they were stuck they could have "shunted" the rails at that point. There are shunts, like jumper cables, made for such things. This would have dropped the signals to red (track occupied) and caused the crossing gates to lower (minor inconvenience) and immediately call or radio the dispatcher. Even a piece of pipe, fence post or anything metal at least 4' 10" long would have worked.
Of course, now with so many block signals removed (much longer blocks) and/or PTC coming along maybe this wouldn't have helped.
As you pointed out, the phone number posted at crossings should be put to use. Most of today's clueless-types certainly wouldn't have thought of it.
Fortunately, no one was hurt as far as I have heard. More Amtrak equipment out of service, though. Fortunately the fire damage wasn't as bad as this one:
— and this classic. "Gee, where should I park my ladder truck?"
Good Afternoon,
Got my errands done and the car washed. About 60F today, normally it would be 35 F. Naturally showers are expected tomorrow.
Douglas, that $300 is Canadian or about $225 US and is expensive as this loco is green and black. I bought brass as it is the only way you can get models of Candian steam. Like most large RR their steam had a distinctive look. Well there has been 2 steam canadian in plastic, a CN northern and recently a CP hudson. Mind you the detail level is amazing. Most of these brass locos are 30 to 45 years old.
Supper time soon as I really didn't have lunch.
Evenin' Folks!
gmpullman"Gee, where should I park my ladder truck?"
Luckily Fire Departments around here are much smarter and use proper protections....
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
howmusLuckily Fire Departments around here are much smarter and use proper protections....
Jump to 4:30, or just watch the whole thing
Soitenly! Nyukk, Nyukk, Nyukk
You still here, Ken??
Cheers, Ed.
Good evening from La Crosse Wisconsin.
Too bad you never hired me for one of your jobs Ed. Contractor would no longer be a bad word in your vocabulary as I always left a trail of happy customers at a fair price
Good to see you back Garry! Happy to hear you're doing better and I hope things just keep getting better and better for you. They will! , as "Good Karma" always has a way of taking care of itself.
You guys didn't think the Fiddler would go on a mini getaway to a River Railroad Town and not drive around for a few hours to get some Railroad pictures for you, Did you? ..... I didn't think so
Burlington 4-6-4. I don't particularly think our Heroes of the Roads deserve to be cooped up in pens when they retire.
I was interested but I didn't go to the other side to read the history board because there was some rough-looking Heshers smoking weed. To each thier own but they didn't look like the friendly type in my book and I didn't want to get involved with a possible confrontation.
I located the Historic La Crosse Depot that Amtrak still has in operation. I suppose it's still stands proud to this day because the third little pig built his house out of bricks instead of straw
While I was there I was fortunate enough to have a couple of Brent's CP Rails stop by. I was a bit delighted with that while I had my camera out.
I have more but that's enough for now before it all disappears as that usually happens posting from a phone.
Hope you all are well and happy like Judy and me tonight
P.S. I always admired Cuyama's gifted model railroad design talent. It is always bothersome when one of our fellow Forum members is missing here.
Track fiddlerToo bad you never hired me for one of your jobs Ed.
I know there's lots of good, commercial contractors out there, TF. What I'm refering to are corporations (or the US Military) that hire contractors to perform jobs that were once done "in-house".
At GE we used to do all our crane and hoist inspections and repairs. In the 2000s or so GE decided they didn't want any more liability risks for doing the job in house.
So we gave all our parts, manuals and experience to an outfit that was called Cranes-R-Us (or similar).
One time after they finished one of their professional inspections I got called over to a five-ton hoist that would no longer hold the load. As soon as the operator released the up button, the fairly light load, maybe one ton, would come quickly back to earth!
The electrician and I began taking covers off to see what was up with the brake. In order to get to the adjusting screw a pipe plug had to be removed.
I unscrewed the pipe plug and about a half-gallon of oil poured out. Mr. professional filled the brake housing with 90 wt. gear oil!
These are the kind of "contractors" I was refering to.
Nothing was ever said to the Cranes-R-Us people. As it turns out the outfit was owned by one of therelatives of a higher-up.
Take a look at so many of the industrial disasters out there and, not always, but still quite frequently, there's a contractor involved.
The world looks wonderful through the windows of a Park-series observation car!
Skeena at 8 by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
You look dashing in front of that Burlington Hudson, TF! One cool dude
Cheers, Ed
I gotcha Ed. You probably had that explained but sometimes I just don't catch things. Probably my bad and it's all good.
This Radisson is my kind of hotel as they have Train and Bridge pictures scattered about. I thought of you as I took pictures of a few of the Train pictures they have in the lobby. I thought they were right up your alley as I know how much you like your passenger cars. I've always appreciated how you know about them and the history behind them. I pay attention.
In the lobby.
I hope that Burlington wasn't in motion or else the kid on the bike was really stupid or both
Even if the kid absolutely knew he could make it as all kids think they're invincible. A shoelace could become wound around the pedal and stop him dead in his tracks, but kids don't think like that.
I always enjoy looking at these stainless steel beauties Ed, but I have no idea what they are until I learn sometimes.
Thanks for the dashing compliment. Well there's another big smile on this old carpenters face
Good evening ....
David North Brit, Douglas, and TF. .... Thanks for your kind remarks. Also, again to all who posted workds of encouragement to me over past several days, I sincerely appreciate it.
Ed ..... I like the picture of the Skeena with Park series observation car. I would like to ride that train. My experience riding in a Park series observation was on Via Rail's Ocean in Eastern Canada.
John York 1 ..... I like the photo of UP's City of Portland.
TF .... I like the LaCross photos .... 4-6-4. .... The station. ... Twin Cities Zephyr.
Everybody...... Have a good night.
PM RailfanKevin) I sure hope that pic of a stack of ties is from your backyard. In hopes that your gonna suprise us by saying your buying a caboose?
Nope. I believe that picture was taken at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga.
gmpullmanWhat I'm refering to are corporations that hire contractors to perform jobs that were once done "in-house".
My worst experience when a contractor was hired to do something we normally did in house was when we hired an outside firm to come in and inventory our Tampa parts warehouse.
We had parts from tiny tamper-proof drive rivets to 750 Kw generator sets in stock.
They did not count any small parts accurately, could not find many items, and could not figure out how to certify serialized inventory.
We had to do it all over again ourselves, and then the finance people were upset of the discrepencies between the two counts... so we hired ANOTHER CONTRACTOR to come in an verify the count.
What a disaster.
Old School
An old black-and-white photo with one blue one next to the blue streetlight that I thought was interesting.
Judy and I are very strict with our diet and what we consume. A Coca-Cola once or twice a month is a treat.
I never thaught I'd ever see a hand-painted Coca-Cola advertisement on the side of a brick building that had the patina that this one did. I had to stop and take the picture.
When contractors just won't listen!
I had just started at GE and was on a gang helping to get vertical tanks ready for a contractor to patch rubber lining inside the tanks. The "tank farm" was a couple hundred feet behind the plant.
Sometimes you just have a feeling when things are going to go wrong. The leader of the vulcanizing crew was not exactly somebody with "people skills". His group had finished two tanks and it was lunch time.
We told him, "Don't do anything until we get back, we're going to lunch".
Oh boy, what a fiasco we came back to. Lots of hollering and guys running around.
The "boss-man" decided he was going to send his guys into the third tank. Time is money! One of his guys goes in the tank and immediately passes out. Sure enough, a second guy goes in to "rescue" him and he's out.
This is about when we came back on the scene. We called for the plant nurse and called the rescue squad. It was a mess trying to extracate those guys from inside that tank. One had a harness but wasn't connected to a rescue line. The other guy just lowered himself in using a rope ladder.
Neither one came out alive. The boss-man and his people had moved one of the air purge lines and reconnected it — to a nitrogen line.
This was before OSHA had really gotten a footing. GE used vessel entry permits and we would take oxygen readings before going in a vessel. These guys weren't going to take the time to wait for us to come back from lunch to do that?
What a sad outcome. I've heard scenarios like this pretty often in industry. Contractors don't have a "feel" for what the dangers are in the plant. Sometimes an employee is assigned to them and they know enough to listen. Other times they wander off on their own or cut corners and don't obey the safety rules.
Sometimes they get away with it.
For the bridge guy...
Potash over the Snake by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Good morning all. The sun is shining here in the land of the former North British Railway.
Douglas. We do take care (wherever) we are. Cannot afford the luxury of not doing.
Garry. Glad you are about.
Ken. I hope things are getting better.
A few jobs around the house to do. Maybe get to run some trains later.
Coffee time. Apple & Cinnamon Muffins & Blueberry Muffins are in the Diner.