I enjoyed the 1960 World's Fair, I don't suppose there will be another.
My aunt went to the 1939 Fair and enjoyed it. A few years before her brother was working for the Civillian Conservation Corps, the only job he could find. A few years later he would be parachuting out of a burning B-25 in the Burma theatre.
Four of their siblings died at birth or at a very young age. The best treatment for my grandfathers' hypertension was the Duke Rice Diet, which didn't do squat and he went on to have 3 strokes. Neither my wife nor I would be alive today if medicine did not make the progress it has.
I think history will look unkindly at the cell phone and the destruction it has caused to human conversation.
I lived for a short while in a wonderful community called Stoneleigh, just north of Baltimore. Stone and brick homes built in the 20's with real plaster walls and leaded glass windows. They had their first car jacking yesterday. There is no place my parents, grandparents or I lived in Baltimore that would feel safe today and some, it would be fool hardy to venture there.
We can't really know what it was like to live back then. But my grandmothers: they were alive when the Wright brothers flew, when horses were part of transportation and when men landed on the moon. How extraordinary it must have been to see all that in a life time.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Looks like I'm top of the page, above, Hard Boiled Eggs are the breakfast special today.
Johns Hopkins, always on the lookout for publicity, has a "real time" coronvirus map. There is no mechanism to provide instant updates.
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
1354 cases up from 916 the day before. This has to be a gross under estimation. I remember getting my first polio shot, though I don't remember the epidemic. 95% of polio cases were asymptomatic.
If you are in the US, I wouldn't lose a moment of sleep over the coronavirus.
SeeYou190The world seems so much better than the one I grew up in and my parents generation made for me.
The world certainly has not turned into a better place. I still remember the time when you did not have to strip down to almost naked prior to entering a plane, or running the risk of it being shot down in mid-air by some (fill in any expletive you fancy) country. Families were still families and not a bunch of people co-habitating for a short time. In schools, teachers actually taught the students, instead of indoctrinating them with some leftist garbage.
I am gong to stop here - I see Vinnie emerging from his back booth.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Good morning.
Kevin, you can't hog all that good weather any more. We're getting up to 33° today! The sun will appear this afternoon! Summer is here!
We were going to visit grandkids today, but can't make it. That means I'm stuck doing more railroad stuff.
I attended the Seattle World's Fair - Century 21 in 1962. I loved the vision of the future. I still have that vision, and I wish I could live to see it.
I have toyed with the idea of building my next layout to be one of a future city, with future trains and people movers. I think it would be fun.
Have a good day, everyone. I have to go through my dresser to find my shorts and short-sleeved shirts. 33°! Turning on the air-conditioner soon!
York1 John
Good morning all.
Flo - A slice of that cinnamon crumb coffee cake, and a Mexican hot cocoa please. Thanks.
Howmus - Nice looking EV. My only complaint on them is you would not be needing much from where I am employed... Maybe new window wipers, bulbs, but not much more.
Ken - Congrats on the no cigarettes for 9 months! Great job!
Ed - Interesting videos you posted.
Jimmy - Enjoy the show.
W*^k - The nightmare rental truck customer from last week is still a nightmare... The truck has now been reported as stolen. It was supposed to be returned on Monday, and has not returned yet. Their cash rental, plus extra deposit, has long since been burned through. It "allegedly" got "stuck" after they slid off the road. Yet it is still MIA...
Former employment - Thursday morning I received several text messages from former w*^kmates, and realized something big must have been going on. Turns out, another former w*^kmate had suddenly become very ill, was flown to a well known hospital, and had unfortunately not made it through Wednesday. The Dr's on her case never figured out what was wrong, and were still running tests when she went into full respiratory and then cardiac arrest. Her siblings, husband, and Mom all were employed there the same time I was, and her husband and Mom still are employed there. (She was also still employed there.) I went last night and most were still crying while trying to accomplish their j*bs. (I don’t think I’ve hugged that many former w*^kmates in one day before, ever.)
She had just turned 32.
Health - On yet another med, as my back has still been not right. Lungs still are clear, but my Dr. is now wondering if I had a "pseudo-pneumonia" bacterial infection. It shows up like pneumonia on x-rays, affects the breathing like pneumonia, but is not really pneumonia. That would explain the very sudden onset, and the back issue. The regular meds I was on before would have helped, but not eliminated it, hence the different med. (It is one of very few that would target this particular bacteria.)
Weather - Rain snow mix today. Lots of melted snow turned ice everywhere making for treacherous walking and back roads are nearly impassable.
Trains - Caught another "new" unit on a local short line. (Second hand but they rehabbed it with new electronics and paint.) While I like the looks of their new units, I will miss the ones they are replacing.
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the day!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I found this gem on Youtube:
York1Kevin, you can't hog all that good weather any more. We're getting up to 33° today! The sun will appear this afternoon! Summer is here!
.
Sorry, I am so glad I have it good right now.
Went to my favorite grocery store and picked up some deli food for later. It is 78 degrees outside with low humidity and not a cloud in sight.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190It is 78 degrees outside with low humidity and not a cloud in sight.
Jeepers - that´s our regular June/July temperature - on a nice day. We are down to 30F right now.
Hello, Folks
I just scanned a few more post cards from my collection. Found one of Grand Central — a bit before my time. I DID enter the station through these doors when I was there in the late '60s, though.
Grand Central by Edmund, on Flickr
Cold and a little rain/snow mix along Lake Erie this weekend.
Regards, Ed
Afternoon Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk half a dog treat.
Speaking of Wildlife Nancy seem's to think I am a Squirrel Wisper! Yes we have a squirrel in the store, I saw it last Monday.and called the GM about what to do about it? Told him what it would cost and that was it? Today on my day Off Nancy Called and left a message telling me to catch it? Yep I will get right on that!
BLI PRR I1sa is still chffing it's brains out. Seems useless to send it back to BLI for repairs when it is working fine again? I still love steam power but waht a pain in the caboose!
Rick Glad o see you on the site again!
Later Ken and Dirk say's Woof, Woof!
I hate Rust
A picture from freezing cold Atlanta last week.
Ken - this one is for you:
Makes me almost wish I had seen the movie.
Gary
Weighmaster Makes me almost wish I had seen the movie. Gary
Gary, I think this was the best part of the movie!
Nah, the best part was Cousin Eddy kidnapping Clark's boss because he did not give out a Christmas bonus.
One of my favorite Christmas movies! Of course, my wife feels I have no taste in movies, so you have to take that into account. One of my all-time favorite movies is 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation. Don't watch the 2015 version.
I've had this old post card showing the Pennsylvania Railroad's YMCA "Rest Home" in Canton, Ohio on the PRR's Chichago-Pittsburgh main line:
PRR_Canton_YMCA by Edmund, on Flickr
I did a little Google Earth poking around and was surprised to see, at least when this image was made, the building was still standing!
PRR_Canton_YMCA-2010-S-elev by Edmund, on Flickr
Oh, if those walls could talk. Imagine the stories and camaraderie on that big porch on a Summer evening. The place looks like an ancient Inca ruin. I'm pretty sure it has been razed since this fly-over.
I'm fascinated when I see a remnant of another era. See them while you can.
There is a sharp, 300 dpi drawing of the layout of the Canton back shops and roundhouse here, also showing the location of the Rest Home.
http://railsandtrails.com/Maps/Canton/index.htm
Second print down. A little bit of a story here:
https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20160131/monday-after-place-for-trainmen
We watched Crazy Rich Asians and Shadow of the Thin Man tonight. I love the Thin Man series.
My wife calls the Asians movie a chick flick. It was cute The thesis of the movie is an economics professor goes to Singapore, with her boyfriend, and she discovers his family is the richest family in the country. The conflicts in the movie are between Chinese and Chinese Americans and between average people and the filthy rich. Love wins out in the end.
I have only known two Chinese Americans. One, was in college, he worked for a Chinese Restaurant and made us an amazing dinner with those tiny corn cobs.
The other was, by rumor, was a wealthy Urologist. There is a Yidish word that descibed him perfectly, but I recall a post with that word was deleted. Let me say this, when he arrived in town, a nurse invited him to have dinner at her place. He walked in the door and asked where the bathroom was. He proceded to take a shower and walk out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
To her credit, she asked him to leave. There are more stories, Vinnie would not approve of any of them.
Speaking of Mother Nature, I found a mouse poop in the kitchen today! Of course I went through the usual exercise of denying what it was, but I'm afraid not. We haven't had them in the house for several years, but the last time was a real PITA because they got into the kitchen cabinets. Every single drawer, shelf and nook and cranny had to be cleaned, and we threw out a lot of stuff that hadn't been sealed in plastic containers. I'm not happy!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Rise and shine, it"s airplane time. I'm on the red eye flight to Laughlin Nevada.
It was hard getting up at 2 a.m. this morning. We stop in North Dakota on the way down, I hate two Landings.
YIKES!
Have a great day all.
TF
Track fiddlerI'm on the red eye fight to Laughlin Nevada.
It looks like you should get good attention from the stewardesses. It doesn't look like there are too many people on board.
Good Afternoon, Gang!
I am a bit lazy this afternoon, after having enjoyed a really nice Wiener Schnitzel with fries and a tomato salad as a side dish. Yummy!
What would your wife say, if you had this in your house?
Someone must have a lot of extra cash to be spend on pastic bricks.
OK, so it is not in New York City.
No is is not in the united states, no not even in this hemisphere...
ROARING
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Tinplate ToddlerWhat would your wife say, if you had this in your house?
My wife might love it.
She is always disappointed when we go to a train show and there are no Lego trains on display. Those are her favorites.
That was a fun video Ulrich, except my knees and hips got sore just thinking about setting all that up! Lots of cash there!
Lion, that was weird, had to be in Russia.
Just caught the news about Kobe Bryant, too bad.
I just aquired a little dockside, and a plymouth switcher from the SIL. The plymouth is a Bachmann, haven't looked at the dock side yet. From his childhood.
Daughter and SIL went to IN. to visit his parents, his dad brought out a box from the garage, all the SIL's old train stuff. Now I get to go through it all.
Quiet Sunday, as it should be. Wife is healing after her emergency detached retina surgery on Thurs.
I spent some time on the layout, at the bench, working on my Fa&b units.
Picnic supper tonight, grilled burgers, cowboy beans, and 'tater salad, even though it's cloudy wet and in the mid 30's. Haven't used the grill in a couple of weeks, I can't wait!
Later all!
Mike.
My You Tube
Eveing Diners
Mike Glad your wife is doing better, how did her retina become detached? Far as Kobe Bryant had to look up who he was, while I knew the name I am not a Basket Ball fan.
Ulrich Enjoyed the last two videos you posted.
Lion Just proves there are stupid people around the world! Yea, lets blow that stop sign and see what happens?
Waliking Front Dirk and I where going to go a half mile today, but it got cut short. Mr Carpenter was walking his Coon Dog Remmie after my first lap around the neighborhood. Remmie and Dirk for some reason do not like each other, both males maybe? WhileI can control Dirk with no problems Remmie is larger and Mr Carpenter is in his 70's and had his hands full. So after we passed I cut throuh backyards not to run into him again.
Dang BLI PRR I1sa is still chuffing it's brains out? Sure cannot send it back for warranty repairs if it is working fine?
Later Ken and Dirk say's Woof, Woof
cudakenDang BLI PRR I1sa is still chuffing it's brains out? Sure cannot send it back for warrantyrepairs if it is working fine?
Ken, your locomotive is not different than anything else you own!
When you finally decide that you will not send it back, it will quit. Then, when you get the return box prepared, it will start again.
It's a law of the universe.
cudaken Mike Glad your wife is doing better, how did her retina become detached? Far as Kobe Bryant had to look up how he was, while I knew the name I am not a Basket Ball fan.
Age. Many of the older clients she has, along with co-workers have, told her about family members going through it.
I'm not an NBA fan either, college basketball, I sometimes watch the WI Badgers, and Marquette ball.
It was over all of the news channels about Kobe. I guess his daughter was killed also, just bad for the family.
Picnic supper was great!
Carry on.
She would say "Put your trains away and go fix up the yard!".
I just scored three True Line Trains slab side covered hoppers lettered for the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo. For whatever reason the slab side hoppers are one of my favourite cars. These things are as rare as hen's teeth.
That brings my fleet of slab sided hoppers up to eight! I already had five lettered for Canadian Pacific. That's almost enough to run a respectable unit train. Note that I said 'almost'.
There is a bit of a story behind my getting three all at once. The supplier had only one TH&B hopper listed on eBay but it was at a rather high price. There was no 'Make an Offer' option on the listing so I threw caution to the wind and asked them if they were willing to negotiate. They came back with a somewhat lower price, but they also mentioned that the collector who was selling them might have more available, and would I be interested? So, I said to heck with the bank balance, let's see what he's got. It turned out that he had four more slab sided hoppers from True Line. One of them was lettered for CN and a second one had the CP Pac Man logo which is too modern to suit my fleet, so those two didn't interest me. Luckily the other two were TH&B with different numbers, so that's how I ended up with three. I was very pleased with the seller's level of service.
As an aside, I also just bought two True Line Trains Canadian Pacific 40' freight cars from a different seller. These two were absolute bargains so overall I haven't come out too badly.
True Line Trains makes very nice models. For a long time I have been quite happy with my slightly upgraded Athearn BB freight cars, of which I have about 150. I'm going to start divesting myself of some of the more common Athearn BB freight cars, and I will replace them with better quality models. Some of those will be RTR and for the others I'm thinking of upgrading them myself similar to what doctorwayne does. Note that I said "similar"! Please don't expect me to match the quality or accuracy of his work.