Hello Railfans!
Top of the evening to ya. A pleasure as always! Had to run out for a bit, but errand done and back home now. Highly unusual because like alot of you, i havent left the house in a while. But she kisses good, so you know how it is!
Ed) Fantastic story! I hope my first experience with an F is similar. Though i doubt it. Not because of the circumstances yet the rarity of F units these days plus my age.
Yessum, it indeed was a different time back then. I think the ole hoggers understood though were foamers, we have a useful purpose. Even if it is to be under their feet so to say ga-ga'ing over everything.
I miss those days, and the railroaders who won them. Even more sad is they will never come again. It was nothing to pull a Tom Sawyer and head down to the tracks.... camera, notepad, and tape recorder in hand, and spend the whole day just you, the hot sun on your shoulders, and the smell of creosote! My saving grace is i got just a small taste of it before the era ended.
Ive always said i was born 100 years too late. Railfanning the steam era, well i just cant describe how much of a better experience that woulda been. By the time i got my hand on the throttle, its was a trio of SD40 High noses lashed together in the diesel facility of the ole Asheville yard. I musta been just a pinch younger than you were on your first F. (Because dear ole mom still had to drive me to my long distance railfan events.)
They sounded good, felt good too, but nothing like the whine of an ole 567, aye? I noticed the seat fit my rear-end REALLY well. So did that throttle handle. A missed calling and a lifetime regret.
Still holding out hope though. One day.... someones gonna offer me a chance to pilot steam. And not just the shovel seat either, the big seat!
Tim Crunch) Dont let this get out, but the T1 is amphibious. Thus the "shark nose" and the "tanker chin". Naw naw j/k. Seriously, there isnt a thing i can add to Ed's explanation. The pic pretty much shows it all. (the open smokebox front pic deserves alot of study too - note the coupler, the mailbox marker light, etc)
One more thing Ed, I think i kinda prefer Dreyfuss to Loewy myself. I dont think you can streamline a better looking loco than the 20th or the Empire E. Hudsons. The T1 isnt bad, but Id give the Daylight Gs4 a higher notch on the likes too. A sure thumbs down would be C&O's streamlined Hudsons. Hideous! I think there were 5 examples of that one.
Garry) You make it back home?
Kevin) Thats one expensive cup of coffee. The first 2 years i got here it snowed 12", twice. Have a decent sized cement driveway so a snowblower we bought thinking no more back breaking. Aint snowed since! Dang thang is sitting, dusty, NIC as in.... New In Corner. So in case anyone is wondering, it only costs $400 to keep it from ever snowing again.
Have a great evening folks!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
PM RailfanHave a great evening folks!
Douglas... I sent you a PM yesterday. My PM notification does not work, so just letting you know.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 PM Railfan Have a great evening folks! Douglas... I sent you a PM yesterday. My PM notification does not work, so just letting you know. -Kevin
PM Railfan Have a great evening folks!
Mine doesnt either, so im glad you said something! -Douglas
Edit: kevin I gotcha! Read yours, i sent one back. who evers tending bar today Kevin gets an extra one on me - Douglas.
Dbl Edit: just noticed im top of the page, so thats two drinks for Kevin on me. Must be get Kevin plastured day. And being the good guys we are who are we to hold him back? - Douglas
Good morning all. The heating is on. At -10 degrees some serious warming up to do.
Generators. When we visited the In-Laws, many a time the power would go and FiL would start the generator. The power seemed to go around mealtimes! Such a panic so the meals would not be ruined.
Coffee Time.
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
well no power loss here in my neck of the woods but my car is frozen to the ground. we got a bunch of sleet on top of the ice so its all nice and slick.
Good Morning All,
A near tropical 20F this morning with a light dusting of 3 -4 inches of s**w. At least with the cold temp the stuff is showing up as fine powder so it's easy to shift.
Nothing much else to report at this point - we are waiting on a soil report after the oil tank was dug out of the prospective house. Then on to the lawyers to start to sort it all out. The shop is a bit nuts still with cars coming and going and DOT inspections happening on the rolling stock so we can go next week. Hopefully nothing else too crazy.
I'm enjoying the tour Ed. Time for me to pick up tools and get after it.
Ciao, J.R.
Good Morning,
A frosty -34C right now with a -44C windchill. I jusr spent a half hour outside tending the bird feeders and water. Sorry for not doing tmps in F. We have been metric here since '77 but I grew up with F and Imperial measure so I can still relate to it. Sure hope it warms up soon. I have to do errands this afternoon so good thing the block heater is plugged in. Mind you the car would start anyway as it comes from Sweden where they do understand cold.
Just a few shrubs to add and my scenery repair will be done.
JR, what type of cars do you take to Sebring? Sounds hectic but exciting.
NorthBrit Dave, isn't that cold for you? Hope you have double glazing.
Time for more coffee.
CN Charlie
Good morning. -4°F (-20C) right now. The next several days our high temps will be negative. Sunday night's prediction is -25°F (-31C).
My wife is not handling this well. I think I may drive her to the airport and put her on a flight to San Diego. The good news is that walking Daisy the Dachshund is easy -- she goes out and comes right back in again. No stopping to smell the wonderful odors.
I'm finishing taxes today! Like I said, for many years I wrote a check in April. Since retirement, I get a check! I always think that's pretty neat until I remember that the check represents money I lent interest-free to the U.S. government.
We don't often lose power here. Except for large system wires, our area is all buried lines.
Years ago, my wife bought me a snowblower for my birthday. I didn't tell her, but I really thought it was unnecessary -- I can scoop. Now I'm thankful. It has gotten a lot of use.
I finally did some work on the layout yesterday just to do something. I'm kind of at an impasse with the railroad. I've got a lot to do, but I just can't get started on something.
The Arduino work is pushing my old brain to the limit. There are times I never want to use the semicolon key ever again. Whenever I type any Arduino project, try to run it and there are errors, it's almost always missing semicolons.
I hope everyone stays healthy today.
York1 John
Howdy...
the rain has stopped at least for now in the FL panhandle. It's sunny and 64F as we sit looking at the Gulf.
we have not yet heard from our neighbors about weather conditions at home . there was freezing rain when I checked weather there I the middle of the night.
MLC .. I'm glad to read you did not lose power.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Mornin' Folks!
CNCharlieA frosty -34C right now with a -44C windchill. I jusr spent a half hour outside tending the bird feeders and water. Sorry for not doing tmps in F.
Quite OK! Just makes it sound even worse...... LOL
I am busy prewarming the battery on my Tesla so I can drive over to Eastview Mall in Victor to go for a walk and have lunch with a beautiful lady.... That is about the best we seem to be able to do these days at least until both of us have gotten both doses of the vaccine.
Currently 17°F (-8°C) here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS and is going to have a nice warm high of 26°F later today. "We're havin' a Heat wave, Tropical Heat Wave". At least no "partly cloudy" to dig out before I leave this morning...
Forgot and missed a Division Executive Meeting for the NMRA last night... Duh! Likely was not much different on anything we voted on but I should have been there. They should have called me and told me to sign on.... Oh well. Writing the newsletter and serving as the Asst. Superintendent are about all I have been doing with the hobby for some time now. If it weren't for the Virus, I might be doing some operating at various layouts around here, but nothing happening with my layout. (Guess I am interested in "other" pursuits at the moment. )
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Thanks for the explanation and extra photos Ed. And, what a story about driving the train at age 15. The rest of us mere mortals felt pretty big when we got our first learner's permit at that age, but you....WOW!!!
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
Good afternoon all. A bright, sunny looking day. The temperature is still below 0C.
Charlie. Yes it is c-c-c-cold.
Time for late afternoon tea. The Earl Grey is made. As is the cream cakes.
For dinner tonite ---
Spicy Prawn Arrabbiata Farfalle which will be oven baked. A Cheese and Garlic Baguette. For dessert A Fruit Medley with a Raspberry and Cream Sauce. Bring a drink if you are joining in.
At least I get time for a lunch break today.
Charlie - We have a variety of cars going south and two events the same weekend one at Sebring and the other at Palm Beach International. At Palm Beach we will have a Peugeot 908 LMP diesel, a Lotus Cortina, a Devin SS, and a pair of Swift 016 Formula Atlantics. For Sebring we have an Audi R-8 LMP1, an Oreca LMPC, a Chevron B21, a Lotus 23 and a Lotus 7. We will get everything set up, the owners/drivers will show up and off we go. At the end of the weekend we will pack it all back up and two of the rigs will stay in Fla for the next event while the rest return north. Beats working anyway. We have been doing as many as 30 events a year at least before the plague hit.
Latest snow forecast models for next week total is 16-17 inches.
going to be messy no matter what we get.
Model shows more icing South. Memphis ETC during this event.
Good Afternoon,
I had a 'diesel' experience but on a lowly SW7. In 1957 the Midland Railway here got a new SW7. Their 2 stall engine house was a reasonable bike ride for a lad of 10. I was outside looking at the shiny new engine when a fellow came out and asked me if I'd like to drive it. He took me into the cab and had me sit in the engineer's seat. I put my hand on the throttle and the fellow gently pushed my hand and off we went! After about 100' he braked and took over going back to the original spot. I was over the moon. I remember the green colour of the cab and the glass water cooler. The Midland was owned by GN and NP. It still operates using a BNSF GP 35. Until 2010 they were using a GP7 that Midland bought new.
I love hearing how you guys were able to ride in the cabs.
The closest I came:
A student at my school developed brain cancer. A school father who worked for BNSF heard that the boy liked trains. This father made arrangements with several engineers to let the boy ride in the cab of a diesel on a section of track that is used very little. The only thing was that we could let no one know because they would get in trouble for doing this.
They also wanted someone to ride with the boy -- the parents indicated they wanted me to go with him.
Things were set, but in the short time before we could go, the boy's condition became much worse, and the parents decided it couldn't be done.
Top of the day to you! Its gotta be close to the 50f (notice thats the chord of f, not c) mark on the thermo-meter. Been overcast all day and just a tad rainy. What a glorious day! THIS, is how winter should be when there 'isnt' a foot of snow on the ground. So definately, no humbugging over here!
Charlie) 100' is all it takes, huh! Bet youd give just about anything to do it again!
John York) 'I love hearing how you guys were able to ride in the cabs'
Hey man, least i can do is share the experience since yall shared with the fighter/bomber stuff. I think thats a great trade. That was a pretty bittersweet story about your student friend. Very cool idea!
See you folk round the beanery later'.
Time for our "Bridge of the Week"!
Lethbridge_Alberta_1905 by Edmund, on Flickr
Click to make bigger
Some of the parts are still in the box
Cheers, Ed
CNCharlieA frosty -34C right now with a -44C windchill.
CNCharlie!
You can have all that Winnipeg winter weather! Please keep it to yourselves! We have been hovering around -7C during the day without too much wind. That weather I can handle, not that I have been going out much. Dianne is enjoying the weather and has been going for walks in our local conservation area almost every day.
For the birders, after several months of slow activity at our feeders, suddenly we are being inundated! The sunflower seed feeder was emptied in one day today! We have lots of gold finches finally, and we have had redpols in large numbers for the last couple of days. They are the ones who have emptied the sunflower seed feeder. All the other usual culprits like the small woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and a few sparrows were here today as well. Hopefully the trend will last.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi gang!
The pain drugs seem to have mostly worn off finally so I seem to be able to think straight once again. Your estimation of my ability to think 'straight' may differ.
I just pre-ordered a Rapido baggage/dorm car and a Manor 4-4-5-1 sleeper in CP maroon. This is my first attempt at pre-ordering but I have faith in Jason's ability to deliver. Eventually I hope to build the whole CP Canadian using Rapido cars.
Good Evening
JR, isn't a Devin SS a fiberglass car from the late '50s? I recall an article in a magazine I had. Corvette powered?
Tomorrow I get out of quarantene as dictated by my wife. I ca immerge from the basement.
Tea tme.
hon30critterFor the birders, after several months of slow activity at our feeders, suddenly we are being inundated! The sunflower seed feeder was emptied in one day today!
Funny you should mention the birds, Dave. Just today I had six bluebirds waiting in the branches for me to refill the feeders. When I was done they swarmed around as if to say "thank you"! I put mealworms out for them and they love those.
The darned European starlings will make a mess and empty the feeders in a day or two but then the ground feeders take over and clean things up. Our ground has been snow-covered since the end of December and that makes the feeders especially attractive to the birds. Here's an older photo.
Bluebird-2 by Edmund, on Flickr
I'll have to try to get some better photos soon. Mr. P especially likes the suet!
Pileated_suet by Edmund, on Flickr
gmpullmanThe darned European starlings will make a mess and empty the feeders in a day or two
Hi Ed,
Dianne and I are always envious of what your feeders attract, except for the starlings of course. We had a similar problem with the starlings up until a neighbour cut down four huge spruce trees. At first we were disappointed at the loss, but we soon realized that suddenly the startlings had disappeared!
We also had another discovery that has pleased us enormously (sorry if I mentioned this before). We just replaced our nyjer seed feeder. The old one ultimately proved to be a big problem. The amount of waste seed under the feeder was huge! We were regularly having to shovel piles of waste seed into compost bags to keep it from becoming a rotting, stinking mess. In addition, the seed in the feeder would routinely get wet and start to rot too. Late last fall we replaced the feeder with one that is an all screen tube with a roof instead of a straight plastic tube with holes. I'm guessing that the amount of waste has been reduced by a factor of 10 and, so far at least, the seed seems to stay dry.
PM Railfan wrote: "By the time i got my hand on the throttle, its was a trio of SD40 High noses lashed together in the diesel facility of the ole Asheville yard. I musta been just a pinch younger than you were on your first F. (Because dear ole mom still had to drive me to my long distance railfan events.)
They sounded good, felt good too, but nothing like the whine of an ole 567, aye? I noticed the seat fit my rear-end REALLY well. So did that throttle handle."
How the seat "fit" was often a function of which railroad you worked for.
If it was for the Pennsylvania or the Norfolk and Western, your behind usually got a small round "toadstool", often without armrests, and even if it had armrests they were tiny and uncomfortable.
Now the New York Central guys... THEY had "a seat agreement". That meant a comfortable "square" seat, adjustable height, decent armrests, and an ample back that often reclined in notches as well.
And if a NYC crew had an engine show up that didn't have good seats, they had the right to have it changed out for one that DID.
I remember working on the Amtrak CF-7's that they got from Santa Fe. Awful toadstool seat. Spend 8-10 hours on that, and you'd be hurtin'.
On a CR SD-40, well, that was a world of difference. Probably no better diesel to work on that's ever been built, and that includes the new ones. Great seat, great controls, great view ahead, great engine.
Dave, glad to hear you are feeling better. We are going through 25 lbs. of shelled sunflower seed a week. The cold makes the birds hungry. We have our usual nut hatches, white and red, house finches, chickadees, woodpeckers and white breasted crossbills that are new this year. Some years we have had flocks of red poles.
Ed, nice photo of the CPR bridge. I've seen it many times and it is impresive.
Wow, this has been a long day of sanding, masking, and priming.
I have a lot to catch up on, but I am going to just hit the rack.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
Good morning all. More snowfall. More road closures. TV Companies send Reporters to Tan Hill Inn (way out in the wilds. Highest Inn in UK) to tell us about the snow. We do not need to know about the snow at Tan Hill. We just have to look outside. Besides, snow is common at Tan Hill. It snows there even in Summer! (A little exaggeration.)
Dave. Glad you are feeling much better.
Ed. Like the bridge. I hope all the pieces are there.
Coffee time.
OldEnginemanOn a CR SD-40, well, that was a world of difference. Probably no better diesel to work on that's ever been built, and that includes the new ones. Great seat, great controls, great view ahead, great engine.
You've had great experiences for us railroad fans. Thanks.
-25 degrees
-46 windychilly
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Howdy everybody.
Ed... The bridge of the day is only half there.
We are still in FL Panhandle. Our neighbors checked on the house yesterday. They could not drive on the icy road to get there. Instead they walkEd through the icy woods on deer paths . The house has power and our cats are doing well. We owe our neighbors a big favor.
Everybody ... Have a good day.