Pittsburgh, still:
PRR's big Conway Yard —
Take a look at the freight cars here for modeling details. I see a couple of my J&L Coal Tar tank cars way down the track. And is that a diesel switcher?
JnL_Pittsburgh by Edmund, on Flickr
JnL_20k-tank2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Afternoon Diners!
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk and Robbie a dog treat.
Beem enjoying the cold weather! No need for ice in the cooler, just sit the out the back door into 15 degrees and nice and cold.
Ready to pull the trigger on a home inprovemt loan! My toal CC debit is down too $780.00 and will be at a 770 credit score by next week. I hope to get all the needed keep the house from falling down work done for under $30,000.00.
Need a new Roof with new deckng, some Fascia and Soffit, Gutters and Floor beam's and footing! Hope to get a new garage door and some new windows.
Trains are running great and time to walk the Dog Master.
Later, Ken and the Dirk the Dog Master says "Walk me Daddy, Woof, Woof"!
I hate Rust
Welcome to PITTSBURGH
One of the grittiest, working-class cities in North america.
Pittsburgh by Edmund, on Flickr
We have the Pittsburgh & West Virginia (AKA the Wabash) bridge in the foreground and some of the platforms of the P&LE depot. Beyond is the Smithfield Bridge, the Panhandle bridge and Liberty Bridge, and across the Monongahela River is the old B&O depot that was torn down and the tracks shortened to Grant Street.
It looks like someone drove the Chevy to the Levy, and the Desoto, Ford and a few Chryslers, too.
Mill_3_0002 by Edmund, on Flickr
Third Place: Charles McCreary by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
We can take a ride on some of the extensive streetcar system, too.
Pgh_PCC_1792 by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's B&O's No. 7, the Diplomat ready to head west, looking a little ragged in this late '60s view leaving the P&LE Depot.
BnO_Diplomat-Pittsburgh by Edmund, on Flickr
Have a look around this fascinating city of steel, coal and railroads! Lots to see.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
NorthBrit Tonite dinner is Homemade English Fish & Chips with Mushy Peas.
I went to the grocery store yesterday in person for the first time in three weeks or so. They had rib-eye steaks on a really good sale, so it will be steak and potatoes for dinner in my house tonight.
I can't wait.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
John & Lion -- Cinnamon rolls. Mouthwatering.
Tonite dinner is Homemade English Fish & Chips with Mushy Peas.
Tomorrow I shall be baking. Apple & Blackberry Pie has been requested. As has Egg & Bacon Pie (English style).
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
BroadwayLion -25 degrees -46 windychilly
-25 degrees
-46 windychilly
I'll interpret that as chili.
There's nothing better than cinnamon rolls and a bowl of chili.
Edit: Top of the page.
On this icy cold morning, Lion has provided cinnamon rolls. I'll provide the chili.
York1 John
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.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
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.
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.
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.
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.
CN Charlie
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.
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.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Hello Railfans!
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'.
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.....
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!
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.
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.