Good Morning!
Rise and Shine - early today, please! It´s a day to head out of Vienna ang go west. As Vienna is close to the eastern border, there is hardly a chance to go east!
Today, we will visit one of the famous lakes in the Salzkammergut, not far from Salzburg. Bad Ischl used to be Emperor Franz Joseph´s summer residence and anyone having been there understands, why. Really a lovely place, oozing that sweet Austro-Hungarian character, which was sometimes giving you a toothache, at least when you were of Prussian decent, like I am.
We will spend the day in and around St. Wolfgang, situated on the namesake lake, take a cruise on the like with the old paddle wheeler "Kaiser Franz-Josef", have lunch at the famous "White Horse Inn" and take the Schafbergbahn cog railway up to the summit of the Schafberg, from where we can overlook all of the Salzkammergut, on a clear day that is. And today will be a clear day!
Back at the White Horse Inn, an Austrain "Oompah" band will entertain us for a while before we take the boat to Bad Ischl, from where we will return to Vienna.
Make it a great day!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Slightly OT - I hope you don´t mind!
Let´s take a short break from our tour throughout Austria and have ourseves beamed all the way up north to Hamburg, where we are allowed to have a sneak preview on the making of the new section of the infamous Miniatur Wunderland - Venice!
Never mind the narration in German, just look what those folks are building! Simply awesome!
The new section covers an area of about 100 sq.ft. and required about $ 1.2 million to build!
This has been a very quiet place today.
Well, I am off to bed. Good Night!
Evening all,
Where is everybody?
Anyways here's the highlights,
Went to church, did yard work, filled the trench in, mowed grass with the other mower, and went to get the steel plate for the guy to weld tomorrow they only had 3 inch wide and 36 long, I was wanting 6 inch by 36 inch but oh well.
1.2 million? Brings to mind the "If I had a Million" track plan from 101 track plans.
I'll be hanging around if anyone stops by.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Evenin' folks!
Man, am I bushed! Still wore out from all the stuff going on on Saturday (mostly just the nervous tension all day), then this morning I ushered at church, this evening was the Deacons Talent Show at Church. My granddaughter #1 played a couple short flute pieces from her band music (she started flute this year) and she did a great job! I think she was the youngest to perform. My Pastor did a couple of songs (she started out as a musician). So...... I think they have convinced me to at least get out my guitar and make a deadline to get the old fingers working for next years Talent show... Can't sing any more (well I can haul off and do an unaccompanied thingy but not really able with my hearing to sing anything like I used to. Frustrating, it is!), but I think I could hear well enough to start playing guitar again. Besides my granddaughter wants to start lessons again this summer.
Ran into a couple old friends who were there to accompany some of the performers. One is a lady who is an exceptional local accompanist and pianist who I have worked with in the past. We gave each other a big hug. She said she didn't recognise me...... Yep, I do look a bit different than I did a few years ago!
Tomorrow night is the Boy Scout Council Recognition Dinner. A couple of my old friends in Scouting are receiving their Silver Beavers there. I will be wearing mine so when we are all asked up to be the recipients I will be "properly dressed" for it. Tuesday the hearing loop will be installed. I told my pastor, since today was Sacred Song Sunday and there was no sermon, that I missed her sermon today, but expect to actually be able to hear it next Sunday!!! LOL
Right now I am waiting for my Fitbit to charge... Mowed the lawn today for the first time this year (last one in the neighborhood) and some of it was about 8" tall. Gave the EGO electric mower a definate workout. Since my two original batteries were reduced in charge over the winter, I didn't get very far on the first couple of batteries. I do have two 5 amp hour batteries that came with the snowblower, and used those to get a little over half done. By that time the 7.5 amp hour one was recharged and that finished it up. But.... I did get 13,450 steps registered today on the Fitbit! So I did walk a little over 14 miles this last week! I also figured out what was irritating my arthritis in my right hip. After losing weight, sitting on my wallet is causing the hip pain when I walk. I moved it into a front pocket and the pain has dissapeared now.
Hope you all have a great night!
"I get up every morning and read the obituary column. If my name's not there, I eat breakfast." - George Burns
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Eveing Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a with a chaser and give Steven and Rick what they want.
Well I have had worst days! At lease I am not sitting in a foxhole in the rain, 40 degrees outside with a leaking Pocho at 3:00 AM. Been there and done that! It sucked rail spikes!
Work Front Another Rail Spike Day.
Train Front My Walther Proto 2000 SD 7 Bessemier was stalling a lot. Seems there has been designs changes when Walthers took them over. I thought I knew what the problem was, the clips that hold the pickup wire to the truck side frame. Hum they changed the design. OK, that is a good thing I think. Problem is they changed they way the truck side frame and wheels are held into the truck! Broke a side frame mounting tap off. Plus one one of the Number Board Lights Fell Out. Gave it a try to reinstall, now on the RIP Track.
Later Ken
I hate Rust
Good evening ...
Two weeks late, we celebrated my wife’s birthday in Nashville yesterday afternoon and evening . We ate too much food at Ruth’s Chris , and spent the night at a downtown hotel.
Ray... it is good to hear you are active with your church and with BSA. Very nice your granddaughter is playing the flute. ... my iPhone keeps track of how many steps I walk each day, and I would not need one of those fitbits .... it is good you continue to improve your physical condition.
Ken. ... Maybe Walthers parts department can get you what you need to fix your locomotive. It seems like the model locomotives are assembled like Chinese puzzles, and you sometimes can’t figure out how they come apart.
Ulrich. .. thanks for commenting on my Santa Fe locomotives. . I ran them a while after we got home this evening. ... I will catch up with your latest videos when I can.
Regarding the Fairbanks Morse Erie Built passenger locomotives, they were assembled at a General Electric plant in Erie, PA. That’s where the name came from . They had 2000 horsepower per unit, and had a wheel arrangement of A1A-A1A. ... FM produced some shorter locomotives called C-Liners . Most of them were with a wheel arrangement of B-B, but there were some with an odd wheel arrangement of B-A1A. ..
Santa Fe owned one three unit set of Erie Builts. It was an ABA set with a total of 6000 horsepmower. Milwaukee Road had the most Erie Builts
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
This was my ride for today
cudaken. . .At least I am not sitting in a foxhole in the rain, 40 degrees outside with a leaking Pocho at 3:00 AM.
Ken: Years ago I was sitting in a sales team meeting and the regional manager was talking to the team. Some decisions had been made the year before to record some revenue early causing the sales accelerators to kick in and give eveyone a big boost in their commissions. On the flip side, it meant that the first half of the next year was going to be really lean. (I was a technical seller and was not affected like the true sales people on the team.) The regional manager, a Vietnam vet, told us that things were tough, but not to take it too seriously. He told us of being in a foxhole with bullets whizzing over his head. He told us, "No matter how tough it gets, just remember, these are not real bullets. I have seen real bullets. These are not real bullets." I have always remembered that. Whenever life gets especially tough, I just tell myself, "These are not real bullets."
Richard
Let´s go to Salzburg today!
Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state Salzburg.
Salzburg's historic centre (Altstadt) is internationally renowned for its baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city has three universities and a large population of students. Tourists also visit Salzburg to tour the historic centre and the scenic Alpine surroundings.
Salzburg was the birthplace of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid‑20th century, the city was the setting for the musical play and film The Sound of Music.
Getting around in Salzburg is easy, eith just walk, or take a trolleybus! Salzburg does not have streetcars, but operates modern trolleybusses, which are fun to ride! They will take us from the main station to the Altstadt.
Salzburg is not only a city filled with music, but the sweet scent of numerous tasty goodies, like Mozartkugeln and Salzburger Nockerln.
The Salzburger Lokalbahn SLB (Local Railway) connects the surrounding towns and villages with the city of Salzburg, a service which is very much appreciated, as Salzburg is an ever-congested city with a definite lack of parking facilities. The railway operates modern, streetcar-like trains, which are rather boring. However, SLB also operae the Pinzgau Railway, a narrow gauge line with steam services during the summer months.
Enjoy your day!
Hi Ulrich ..
Isn't Salzburg where Roco Trains is located.
I'll look at your tour tomorrow. It's after midnight here. Time for sleep.
Gary, thanks for reminding me! Yes, Roco´s headquarter is located near Salzburg, but there are no manufacturing facilities any longer. They have been moved to Gloggnitz (Austria) for track and motors, and Arad (Romania) and Banska Bystrica (Slovakia).
While were are in Salzburg, we should pay Porsche a visit! It´s not the kind of Porsche you may think of right now, but a great model railroad show!
Hello... (add echo)
Everything is self-serve today? Even fewer diners than yesterday!
Well, I'll refill my coffee Thermos and head on down the road.
Thanks for the wonderful views of Austria and environs, Ulrich. My dad was in Austria in the summer of 1945. I know that he had always wanted to return as a regular tourist as I remember seeing tour brochures in his stacks of magazines. That was one "bucket-list" item he never got a chance to fulfill.
Here's a recent modeling project I completed. Paint and decals on the PRR N5 cabin car. Enjoy!
PRR_5012bw_sm1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Hope to see more folks in here (the menu is outstanding, by the way) soon.
Regards, Ed
Morning diners,
This place is abandoned, did someone forget the OPEN sign?
Anyways, went with my grandpa to drop off the mower deck, they'll have it fixed in a few days, did the pools, well that's it, if anyone comes in they'll think I'm talking to myself!
I'm outta here, be back when there's people to talk to.
Good Afternoon,
Yes, it certainly has been quiet in the diner lately.
We are expecting a hot day here as in 85F which is about 20 degrees above normal. Still no rain nor is any expected. There are fire bans all over the province . I heard the water bombers coming in to the airport here as they do every spring likely for some sort of annual check before their season starts. We are on a flight path and I really like to hear the sound of those big radial engines. Yes 2 of them are quite old and radial powered. They were based at the old air force base in Gimli and I used to get to see them practice in the lake by Gimli when we had our boat there.
We have been inundated with white throated Sparrows this past week. They sure have a lovely song but they are now moving on their northward migration.
Nothing new on the train front. The N scale stuff I had on consignment all sold so I have some cash in the train kitty. Not sure what I will do with it right now. I would like to get a HO S4 but it would have to be used as no one has a CN version out right now.
Garry, I sure like those Eire builts. CN had quite a few C Liners that were built in Canada by CLW. Several were of the 5 axle variety and were used in passenger service. They didn't last long as reliability wasn't their strong point. Still, a nice looking loco. I regret not picking up a copy when TLT brought out a model a couple of years ago.
We are working full tilt at the garden clean up. It is always a big job in the spring even though our yard is small. This afternoon I have to clean up around the rocks by the pond. When I say rocks I really mean bolder size as 3-4 feet in diameter.
First we need to do a few errands.
CN Charlie
Steven, I've got you a business car.
https://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/railEquipment.php?itemId=1143
You may have to register to see it, in which case you get weekly emails of stuff for sale, like hi-rails, used diamonds $5-$10K depending on rail weight, stainless steel vents, passenger cars and, this week, a wooden baggage car.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Henry, I'll just get out my waller and write them a check!
For now I'll have to settle for the smaller stuff, as in HO scale
He better hurry, I think Amtrak is, or has, changed their policy on hauling around private varnish.
Mike.
My You Tube
Howdy ...
I have not had much train time yet today .
Ulrich .. I saw part of your last video. Impressive.
CN Charlie ... I can remember CN had some of those C-Liners . I think several railroads decided FM diesels were more costly to operate and maintain than the competition .
MLC ... Feel free to us more about the PRR E8.
Ed ... I like your PRR cabin car.
cheers, everybody.
Hi;
Here in New Braunfels , Texas we have a bunch of them . last count was 12 ! Good brews . That depends if you like Lager or Ale . Some are Wheaty some Hoppy. I like a good Bock with a Bright taste but Filling feel .
New Braunfels has a reputation for good beer and good wurst and they know how to celebrate both properly at the New Braunfels Wurstfest in November!
I think my German is slightly better. Well, it should be!
Afternoon Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a please and give Rick and Steven what they like.
Day Off Cut the rear yard for the first time this year. I swear I have more Weed Than Wood Stock!
Train Wars Some times I wished I stayed DC! Trains where running fine, stopped the layout to change a engine. Decoder Pro would not take comand of the Santa Fe Erie Bulit? Hum, something wrong with the engine? Tried the C&O RS2, samething? Next none of the egines will take a command? Tried hooking the DT 400 straight to the DB 150 thinking the PR 3 died, nothing? Tried the Digitrax DB 150 with out the throttle, nothing! I have power to the tracks becuse a few of the engines Lights will come on, but after that nothing!
Unplugged every thing and will give it another try Tuesday when I get up. If I where to guess it would be the DB 150 has given up it's ghost.
Later, Ken
Good evening Diners,
Brunhilde, I'll have an Earl Grey tea with cream and honey, please. And set up a round or "other" for Ken and the gang.
Speaking of Brunhilda, Ulrich, you found her! Or maybe I should say you found her y'all. The sad thing is I can halfway understand those Texans speaking German, but native speakers throw me for a loop. I'm just not accustomed to hearing it, and I can't even understand words that I know.
I've not been to New Braunfels, but there is a place nearby that has this good Mexican restaurant in what looks like an old mission that was destroyed by a fire. Good food, good atmosphere. I thought the place was called Gruen (Green), but I'm not sure.
The wurst festival sounds like it might be fun, but it could be the worst wurst festival. Sorry, couldn't resist. Would that I could enjoy a few of those craft brews, but I'll have to stick to wine.
MTDentailed: when I could drink beer, I liked medium to full bodied Amber ales, malty not hoppy. But then again, I loved the old Olympia before it was bought and they changed the recipe.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK and safe.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
up831The sad thing is I can halfway understand those Texans speaking German, but native speakers throw me for a loop.
Jim, I am with you on this! There are "native speakers" in Germany I hardly understand! People in my neck of the woods are said to speak the cleanest German, without a trace of a dialect, which makes it a dialect of its own. People in southern Germany, namely Bavaria, and eastern Germany, Saxony, are speaking something I would not even consider to be German at all, at best it has a faint resemblance. But even that can be topped - just go to Austria or Switzerland. Would you believe that Swiss movies require German subtitles for us to understand even a single word? If you had thought it couldn´t get worse, than let´s move to the Netherlands. The Dutch language is basically a German dialect, like it is spoken in the northwest of Germany. Blend in a few English bits and pieces and add a sore throat and clogged up nose and there you have the Dutch language! That´s, of course, tongue in cheek ...
Westward ho! Our tour throughout Austria takes us even further West - to the state of Tyrolia and its capital Innsbruck.
Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol in western Austria and is the fifth-largest city in Austria. It is in the Inn valley, at its junction with the Wipp valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass some 30 km (18.6 mi) to the south.
Located in the broad valley between high mountains, the so-called North Chain in the Karwendel Alps (Hafelekarspitze, 2,334 metres or 7,657 feet) to the north, and the Patscherkofel (2,246 m or 7,369 ft) and Serles (2,718 m or 8,917 ft) to the south.
Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. Innsbruck also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. The name translates as "Inn bridge"
Today´s highlight is a ride to Fulpmes at the foot of the Stubai Glacier. The Stubaitalbahn was one of the earlier electric railways operated on AC. Until 1983, the railway employed the trains from the year of the opening, but changred to DC operation, when it was integrated into Innsbruck´s streetcar system.
The following video shows the "once upon a time":
For the times they are a - changing:
Enjoy!
I been in and out for a while. Lately it's been hard to communicate. Since I took a two week break from the forums. I haven't had a really good reason to continue talking daily, like I used too. I guess I have better things to do than chatting on the forum.
I am enjoying the trip around Austria.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Good Morning all,
Now the wife has the crud I had only worse. Her's tunred into a bacterial infection. So we got her Meds. Put her to bed.
Garry: That E-8 is over in Jackson MO on the St louis and Iron Mountain. The railroad museum here, chartered a train Sunday. The engine needs a little work on one prime mover as she is using oil. It was a nice trip and we had good weather, the storms stayed over in Paducah. I may go over and help them once and a while. That engine compartment was hot. I rode the Caboose helping with the conductor duties and we were inspecting the track. ( got a little tie work to do)
Ulrich,
Enjoying the tour---JaBear, anywhere near the sinkhole???
herrinchoker
Hello everybody .
MLC .. interesting about the E8. I have not heard of that short line. Jackson is near Cape G which reminds me of Jim who used to be a regular customer here in the Diner. I wonder what happened to him..... we have a small group of people who will be on the dinner train in Branson MO soon.
Ulrich. .. Continued thanks for the tour.
Garry,
The SLIM started running a tourist operation in 1986 using steam, The steam engine is in parts on the property, They aquired the E-8 , it is ex penn and ex amtrak and geared for 120 mph. They only have about 5 miles of track and run a two hour train. (hour out and hour back) They do murder mystery, train robbery stuff, etc. That was my first time over there.