Yesterday was a learining day.
We decided to drive all the way across West Virginia since neither of us have ever been there before. We agreed to drive off route over to Kentucky, then take US-52 all the way West-To-East and see West Virginia from the local perspective.
One great thing about travelling through these United States is seeing how each state is nothing like the stereotype or reputation that it has. None of the States I have visited was anything like the general reputation that it has in culture.
Until West Virginia, they really lived up to everything I have heard about their back roads.
US-52 through West Virginia is like visiting a third world country that lost a war. I have never seen such terrible living conditions and rampant poverty anywhere in the USA. It is like a long stretched out version of Gary, Indiana.
There are apparently no building codes or inspections. No code enforcement. No attempt by anyone to have a presentable community.
All the cliches were there, cars on blocks, above ground pools in the front yard, and weed filled lawns 18 inches high.
I had no idea what it would look like. Crossing the border from Kentucky was like turning off a light switch, then arriving in Virginia was like turning it back on.
It was absolutely not what I expected. Next time I go to West Virginia I will stay on the Interstates and restrict myself to the larger cities.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Kevin,
As depressing as it was, not all of WVa is like that and there are pockets of extreme poverty throughout the country. When my friend went on manuvers from Camp Lejeune they ended up in a rural area where he thought he was back in Nam the way the roads and houses were. We go to Summit Point WVa for racing and probably due to its' proximity to DC, it is all modern developments and lots of farms away from the main roads. If you followed 52 you were on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia and likely where the mines have all shut down. There has been rampant unemployment since. Hope the rest of your trip is better. J.R.
Good morning, everyone. Happy 4th of July!
Kevin, I know what you mean about impressions of states. When I tell people where I live, they honestly believe we have chickens in the kitchens and climb a pole to anwer our phone.
I forget the musician, but he once joked how he had gone home to visit his elderly parents, and they had put carpet in the bathroom. They enjoyed it so much, they decided to run the carpet from the bathroom all the way up the path to the house.
Actually, our farmers are now ahead of the curve. With all the talk of self-driving cars, we've had self-driving tractors and combines for years.
Welcome back to the diner, TF. Glad everything went well with the family.
York1 John
Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving
Instead Amazon, wants to move to Northern Virginia, where real estate is sky high and a 2 mile drive to the bank takes over an hour, round trip.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Happy 4th of July to all our U.S. friends to the North, South, East and West. This is a tough one to be sure but things always get better eventually. I think we have more American friends than Canadian ones. I have good friends in California and many in the Chicage area and Virginia. My wife is good friends with a lady in Virginia that lives on a huge estate right out of "Gone With The Wind" as my wife puts it. The lady sends a car to the airport to pick the wife and dogs up and she stays in the guest house while she is there.
I have had my two giant mugs of coffee, played my guitar for an hour, pumped weights for 30 minutes and am just checking the forum before I do 40 min on the bike. BP was 102/60HR44 so I am good to let it rip. Then it's cutting tile for the BR project and hop on the John Deere if there is time left. At least I don't have to lay the tile as the wife loves to do that. She marks the tile to be cut and I cut them all and hand them back to her along with a bucket of thinset which works for me.
We have a young person staying for a couple of days as home life for them with being home due to the covid19 crap has deteriorated. We use to take lots of kids in when my kids were younger that were having problems at home, my kids would just invite them to stay with us. We would even take them on vacation with us. It was that or the street for them. We have been locked up with our kids for months now and we get along great.
TF, glad your family crisis is mostly in the rear view mirror now and hopefully life will return to somewhat normal soon.
Time for some good ole rock and roll to be put on while I pedal ( makes me goes faster while I am not moving)
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BigDaddy Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving.
Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving.
A lot is needed. Not just roads and schools, but also a serious international airport, stores and restaurants.
We used to live in northern Virginia, and you're right -- trafic, crowds, outrageous prices and all. Now we're in Delaware with none of that, no commercial air traffic, not much in the way of shopping, and just enough restaurants for us locals. Keep the big city stuff away. We left to get away from that.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleyKeep the big city stuff away. We left to get away from that.
My wife says the same thing when our town's council talks about attracting new companies to our area.
Howdy ..... I'm taking a break for a few minutes from our company while they swim in the lake. .... We've been swimming, boating, fishing, and eating constantly.
Happy 4th of July !
I took the photos below in Detroit during the Bi-centennial celebration.
In the second photo, you can see the Renaissance Center under construction.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
BigDaddyInstead Amazon, wants to move to Northern Virginia, where real estate is sky high and a 2 mile drive to the bank takes over an hour, round trip.
Infrastruture is the thing. For a company like Amazon interchange will all forms of transportation is paramount.
Afternoon Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk half a dog treat.
Just had nothing really to say this month Ed. I still read the post every day and sit in the back booth of the dinner.
Health Front Well my rib is feeling 98% heald so that is good.
Bad part is I have a new toe ulcer on the great toe on the right foot. Foot looked good Wednesday and on Friday it was a mess. Came out of no where, no standing or walking. Heck I have not even cut the grass for a month? If it does not look better Sunday, off to the ER.
Liked the new Grass Trimer. It is a 40 volt trimer and is 5'6" tall. Can hack down the weeds with out my back hurting.
Time to sit outside with Dirk and Sue.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof America.
I hate Rust
Kevin
Did you follow 52 on into NC and then down to Winston Salem? You would have passed by Mt Airy- Andy Griffith's hometown which was changed to Mayberry in the series. How was Spencer? I know they were pulling some of the equipment out. Considering the size of the buildings they really should have been allowed to open fully.
I saw part of the flyover of the Great American Colonial Cities. Before hand I could not find out what was coming, nor if it would be near me. After DC, they must have headed toward Dover, flying directly overhead.
I saw the B2 but didn't know the B1 and B52 were coming and missed them.
It's the video, below the news video
For some reason I could not get the video to play. My wife and I were driving in Kansas one day years ago when a B1 flew right over the highway. It was an amazing sight. That still is the only one I've ever seen.
GMTRacingnot all of WVa is like that and there are pockets of extreme poverty throughout the country.
For certain, all states have pockets of poverty. In Florida we have Belle Glade, Pahokee, Liberty City, and Bithlo to name a few. But nowhere else have I seen a roadway that runs 100 miles through pure squalor.
Honestly, 95% of these structures people were living in would be condemned anywhere else.
I also visited Wheeling, West Virginia, which was pretty bad, and drove US-19 from the Pennsylvania border South the day before. It was not much better.
York1I know what you mean about impressions of states. When I tell people where I live, they honestly believe we have chickens in the kitchens and climb a pole to anwer our phone
When people find out I am from Florida, you would not believe what I am encountered with. Since 2000 Florida has been the punchline for every "dumb-state" joke, and "Florida-Man" has become part of pop-culture.
Certainly, we have earned the "Florida-Man" stories. They are all true and too funny. It is amazing how many people just assume we are all "Florida-Man".
BigDaddyWinters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous.
That was so amazing, everywhere you look in West Virginia there are million dollar views. The state is simply beautiful. The natural beauty provides a harsh contrast to the general living conditions.
drgwcsDid you follow 52 on into NC and then down to Winston Salem? You would have passed by Mt Airy- Andy Griffith's hometown which was changed to Mayberry in the series. How was Spencer? I know they were pulling some of the equipment out. Considering the size of the buildings they really should have been allowed to open fully.
We did drive through Mount Airy, but I did not see a sign saying it was Andy Griffith's hometown, so I did not know.
The Transportation Museum in Spencer was amazing. I will post pictures when I am back home. If you have been there before, you should go now. A few of the steam engines that are normally kept in the cramped roundhouse are outside where you can really get a good look at them.
611 is there getting some major work done. Once again, I was able to get way up and more personal with her than should normally be allowed. That is twice now I have had a wonderful surprise with 611 in Spencer! I was the only person there (which is amazing in itself), so some allowances were granted.
They have also added some stuff since I was there two years ago. I do not remember the alluminum ACL hopper or all the cabooses everywhere. The pedestrial RR bridge was also fascinating.
Main Street Antiques was a great stop. The train booths were great, but it was mostly Lionel, which is typical for antique malls.
Then we went to The Depot Antique Mall, which was amazing. It was HUGE! We spent over two hours in there.
Chuck's Trains was closed when I got there, and so was New Brookland Trains in South Carolina. Oh well, I spent the time well and had a great time from morning to now.
Thanks for all the tips.
Tomorrow... TO THE BEACHES! I will be on Jeckyl Island in Georgia, then on to Daytona.
Here's a flat car load with a bang!
Do you know what it is?
Dave
Edit:
The moderators may want to move this to the Prototypical forum.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Yea the depot antique mall is huge. There are several in the area that all claim the "largest" title. There is one in Burlington NC that is about the same size. The real champ though is the Factory Antique Mall up in Verona VA (just outside Staunton not too far from Shenandoah)
hon30critterDo you know what it is?
Dave, is it a depth-charge or an anti-ship mine?
hon30critterHere's a flat car load with a bang!
Gidday Dave and Kevin, a little light reading ...
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/240122.aspx
and the depressed centre car in question...
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/256674.aspx
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
SeeYou190 is it a depth-charge or an anti-ship mine?
Hi Kevin,
It could be used as either, but it would be a bit of overkill.
Hi Bear!
I should have excluded you from answering! I figured that you would know the answer based on your flat car building experience.
The picture came up in an article on my Yahoo! home page so I thought I would post it for interest.
Jumbo pretty much looks like this today:
Trinity_Site-Remnants_of_Jumbo-2010 by Edmund, on Flickr
I've had this B&W 8 x 10 in my collection for years without knowing anything about it. Possibly part of the Trinity test?
The Apparatus by Edmund, on Flickr
It certainly looks like the locomotive rolls the apparatus into place and is then attached or "plugged-in" to another device travelling on the larger-gauge rails toward the outside.
The photo was in a group I bought at a train show.
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning!
Sunday - time for my big, fat and unhealthy brealfast of crisp fried bacon, eggs, pancakes,buttered toast & jams, OJ and plenty of coffee, Janie, dear! Thank you!
Petra an I are having second thoughts about moving to Görlitz. While Görlitz is certainly a nice place to live, we have not lived in a city since we go married. We always lived in rather rural places, fare away from the hustle & bustle city folks are used to. To be honest, I am having cold feet being stuck in a city! While it is certainly the most sensible thing to do, given our circumstances, my heart is not in it. The big question to answer is what a valid and feasible alternative could be. Renting an apartment in a rural place is not the answer - there are hardly any on the market and even, if, they don´t fit our budget. If we would find a nice plot of land to buy or rent, I´d put up one of those new-fangled shipping container houses. We don´t need much space, but we do need peace and quiet, and, not to forget, independence!
I know we are in Britain, but here is a video I´d like to share. It´s about a NG forest railway in the Carpathian mountains of Romania, where people in this 21st centure do not live much different as their forefathers did, when Dracula reigned with night time terror. Narration is in Germany, but you may switch on subtitles in English.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Tinplate ToddlerPetra an I are having second thoughts about moving to Görlitz. While Görlitz is certainly a nice place to live, we have not lived in a city since we go married. We always lived in rather rural places, fare away from the hustle & bustle city folks are used to. To be honest, I am having cold feet being stuck in a city! While it is certainly the most sensible thing to do, given our circumstances, my heart is not in it.
Hi Ulrich,
I understand your hesitancy. Best to be certain before you take the plunge.
Dianne and I would be hard pressed to move into a more urban place than we are now. We are in a small town (19,000 people) with all the amenities and the country side is close by. Toronto is only 40 minutes away but we rarely go there. I hate the traffic and the congestion. I couldn't live in the place.
If we do anything it would be to move to a place on the water in 'cottage country' somewhere in north central Ontario. Alas, that might be a pipe dream because prices for decent properties that can be lived in year round are likely beyond our means and will continue to be so.
Keep looking! It won't do you any good to give up.
Top of the page again! Since our neighbours to the south have just gorged themselves on Birthday Cake, how about something a little less fattening? We are in Great Britain so how about watercress sandwiches all round?!? They are a pub staple so you are allowed to have a pint or three with them to help you wash them down! In fact, that might be the only reason to justify eating them! Just remember to hold your little pinky up when you indulge!
Dave - I have just cancelled all the appointments and the hotel reservation for our trip to Görlitz. We are not yet ready to decide on such a life changing step, so I don´t want to waste the considerable amount of money for this trip, only to find our prejudices confirmed. Back to square 1 again.
Tinplate ToddlerBack to square 1 again.
I'm not sure that you are actually back at 'square one'. You have explored many options. The knowledge gained has allowed you to refine your goals. You are further ahead by knowing what mistakes you don't want to make.
Dave - We actually know quite well, how we would like to live, but we are forced to make severe cuts to that because of our financial situation. We attempt to square the circle.
Good Sunday morning. Just coffee this morning.
This is another day with very little scheduled. I'll watch church this morning, and then a full day of nothing to do.
The results of this virus:
Ever since I was a kid traveling with my family, I have loved the old national park lodges. When we visited Yellowstone, I swore that one day when I grew up, I was going to come back to stay at Old Faithful Inn.
This coming week the 60-year-old dream was going to happen. My kids and grandkids were all going to spend a week at Yellowstone and Grand Teton with us. We actually had reservations for staying at the Inn. Of course, all that's out.
My daughter has remade the reservations for next summer. If I'm still alive and well in a year, I may fulfill one of my bucket list items:
I love the videos and pictures of the UK railroads. They have done well preserving some of their rail history.
I hope everyone has a great Sunday today.
Good morning, the little bit left of it.
Thanks Brent, John for the kind thaughts Yep, keeping the memory alive but down to fond and happy memories from here on out is what one needs to do now.
I don't know about you guys in the other states but there wasn't much of a 4th here this year. All the firework displays were canceled due to the corona. Lakeville had one but I wasn't going to drive all the way down there. The 4th this year consisted of a classic car ride and a red white and blue cake we ate too much of
We drove to Victoria this morning for breakfast on the patio before the humidity began to speak too loud. Now it's just a matter of trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our Sunday. Maybe BBQ some chicken I'll probably be gaining some weight throughout this epidemic. There ain't nothing else to do but eat
More time for modeling is a plus though
Have a great afternoon everyone.
TF
I am on Jecky Island, Georgia, and it has rained since I arrived here. I never made it to the beach. It is a 1/4 mile walk on a boardwalk over the dunes to reach the beach, and no fun in the rain.
Bummer.