SeeYou190 gmpullman I'm not sure anyone cares much about the railroad interests here but I'll keep posting things of interest until the end of the month. One more week. I certainly do. Unfortunately, I have very little kowledge of real railroads, so I have little to add. Like the entire "Prototype Information" section, I read all the information, and I learn a lot, but I have very little to add. Thank you for the excellent job hosting the diner. Your efforts have been magnificent. -Kevin
gmpullman I'm not sure anyone cares much about the railroad interests here but I'll keep posting things of interest until the end of the month. One more week.
I certainly do.
Unfortunately, I have very little kowledge of real railroads, so I have little to add.
Like the entire "Prototype Information" section, I read all the information, and I learn a lot, but I have very little to add.
Thank you for the excellent job hosting the diner. Your efforts have been magnificent.
-Kevin
I agree entirely. Your efforts are much appreciated, Ed. Many thanks.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Morning,
Thanks TF, the warmer air has arrived! It is supposed to hit 32F today and be about that all week. Our normal this time of year is about 15.
Ed, I sure appreciate all the work you put into the Diner journey. I really enjoy the pictures and RR info.
Not sure what do do today. I might try to sort out some stuff and get rid of some stuff we haven't used in years. I will have to do it on my own which I don't mind. My wife is still in her bedroom and not eating much of anything. She gets angry if I say anything. She will accuse me of doing things without telling her but that is the only way anything will get done. Can't win.
Enoufh of my whinning, more coffee is needed.
CN Charlie
gmpullmanI'm not sure anyone cares much about the railroad interests here but I'll keep posting things of interest until the end of the month. One more week.
Unfortunately, I have very little knowledge of real railroads, so I have nothing to add.
Living the dream.
Post Hog!
BATMAN The Fitz in snow. When Lightfoot recorded this song, it was the first time the band had ever played the song together. Why It's Called Lake Superior Pretty amazing..... Didn't realize how big this lake is !! LAKE SUPERIOR FACTS Lake Superior contains ten percent of all the fresh water on the planet Earth. It covers 82,000 square kilometers or 31,700 square miles. The average depth is 147 meters or 483 feet. There have been 352 shipwrecks recorded in Lake Superior. Lake Superior is, by surface area, the largest lake in the world. A Jesuit priest in 1668 named it Lac Tracy, but that name was never officially adopted. It contains as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three extra Lake Erie's!! There is a small outflow from the lake at St. Mary's River (Sault Ste Marie) into Lake Huron, but it takes almost two centuries for the water to be completely replaced. There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with water one foot deep. Lake Superior was formed during the last glacial retreat, making it one of the earth's youngest major features at only about 10,000 years old. The deepest point in the lake is 405 meters or 1,333 feet. There are 78 different species of fish that call the big lake home. The maximum wave ever recorded on Lake Superior was 9.45 meters or 31 feet high. If you stretched the shoreline of Lake Superior out to a straight line, it would be long enough to reach from Duluth to the Bahamas . Over 300 streams and rivers empty into Lake Superior with the largest source being the Nipigon River The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is about 8 meters or 27 feet, making it the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in some spots reaches 30 meters or 98 feet. In the summer, the sun sets more than 35 minutes later on the Western shore of Lake Superior than at its Southeastern edge. Some of the world's oldest rocks, formed about 2.7 billion years ago, can be found on the Ontario shore of Lake Superior. It very rarely freezes over completely, and then usually just for a few hours. Complete freezing occurred in1962,1979, 2003 and 2009.
The Fitz in snow.
When Lightfoot recorded this song, it was the first time the band had ever played the song together.
I don't know about you guys?
But it's about that time in the late morning when I'm due to listen to some really good music again!
Especially after Kevin's daughter just got her new stereo hooked up with a "Little Help" from her Dad over the phone
After I listen to it and enjoy it more on my phone, I'm going to Crank It Up really loud on the Denon one more time so John can listen to it down there too!
I know Brent didn't just push a button to orchestrate all of this. It took a bit of work and deserves to be viewed and listened to again
Track Fiddler
Good morning
Just got done dropping Judy off at w**k.
It was 22 degrees out this morning. I was wise to it before we left the house because I cracked the sliding glass door open for the first time in a long time and I think I heard some birds singing
I put my Carhartt flannel on and rolled my eyes at the Carhartt jacket for once, for quite awhile up here.
I will be sending this warmer weather up North to CN Charlie and all the rest of you Canadians up there too eh! You all need some of this mild Winter Weather up there too!
The tables are turning! It seems that Spring is on its way
TF
Thanks for the photos and the continued hosting, Ed! You are an excellent host.
It's snowing outside right now, but our temperature is 29°F (-1.7°C)! That's the warmest in weeks.
No breakfast this morning -- just coffee, please. All is right in the continuum -- we have donuts at church again.
-35°F (-37°C). 1989. Hastings, Nebraska. We just got off the California Zephyr from Chicago. The ride was not pleasant. The bathrooms had frozen and quit flushing somewhere in Iowa, and it was like riding in an outhouse with wheels.
I hope all the diner patrons have a good and healthy Sunday!
York1 John
We will be riding the Reading:
Reading_cast-Diamond by Edmund, on Flickr
I'm not sure anyone cares much about the railroad interests here but I'll keep posting things of interest until the end of the month. One more week.
RDG, Gordon, Pennsylvania, 1953 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
RDG, Allentown, Pennsylvania, circa 1935 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Top of the page:
Pick something from the menu and I'll take care of the tab:
RRE_menu_inside by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Track fiddlerOhhh! She is just as cute as my little Brittany.
It is hard to believe that picture is 15 years old!
We had so much fun building CosPlay costumes together for years. Such fun memories. Doing crafts and hobbies with all the girls was a treat, but CosPlay was the most fun.
York1She called yesterday and told us not to worry. She said the national news went to the very worst places, and filmed the very worst situations, and made it seem like it applied to the whole state.
I am glad to hear your daughter is OK. Worrying about the kids is terrible.
Last year a crane collapsed in Seattle near where my daughter was working. My wife saw it on the news and was fretting for hours until we finally heard from our baby.
BATMANStanley Cup champions yes, but the European hockey league should get a crack at any NHL champions before the World Champion crown is presented.
I'll bet the Miss Universe pageant was really upsetting for you.
Saturday used to be my favorite day of the week. Now it is one of my least favorite. The weekdays are nicer. The neighborhood is more quiet during the week.
I might actually hit the rack before 4:00 AM tonight. It is almost 2:00, and I am feeling tired. I woke up an hour earlier today than I did yesterday, so maybe my rythm is shifting.
Take care all.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
Tampa Bay has 12 Canadians 10 Europeans and 6 U.S. players. Europe has become a hockey mecca and in my opinion, is comparable in every way to North American hockey. I would like to see a world champion.
In the 50 years, they have been in the NHL the Vancouver Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup. Vancouver has Stanley Park donated by the same guy (Lord Stanley)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Stanley,_16th_Earl_of_Derby.
But seeing the Canucks win the Stanley Cup before I croak will make me a happy camper.
Stanley Park.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMANthe European hockey league should get a crack at any NHL champions before the World Champion crown is presented.
I agree! Of course, it will be a Canadian team that wins everything!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
SeeYou190I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning!
Stanley Cup champions yes, but the European hockey league should get a crack at any NHL champions before the World Champion crown is presented. I think we will see the two leagues square off annually at some point.
SeeYou190 York1 Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here. We do too... I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning! WHO????!!!!
SeeYou190 York1 Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here. We do too... I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning!
We do too... I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning!
WHO????!!!!
That's all right Bear, when I move to NZ I am bringing my hockey gear with me. I'll fill you in.
SeeYou190York1 Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here. We do too... I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
SeeYou190 York1 Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here. We do too... I am sure everyone has heard of the current world champion Tampa Bay Lightning! Tampa Bay is having a very good year. -Kevin
York1 Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here.
Tampa Bay is having a very good year.
If the Rays had just beat the Dodgers another game, Tampa Bay would have had an amazing year -- World Series Crown, Stanley Cup, and the Vince Lombardi trophy.
If they don't watch out, Tampa Bay will have the most liked teams, and at the same time, the most hated teams. It's always that way when teams win a lot.
York1Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here.
BATMANAntonov AN-2 with Shvetsov Ash-62 IR engine 1000 hp
Evening all.
I got the laundry room floor up, that was a real bear I'll tell ya. The hardwood/subfloor in the hall came up much easier. We also decided we need to do the three cabinets in the Laundry room so that means redoing all the plumbing. It is no wonder I never learned to program decoders other than the basics, no time.
John that hockey rink looks about the same size as mine. Great memories playing to the wee hours with the floodlights on. Where I grew up we had a pond that froze over, great times.
I sure feel like a rum and Pepsi but the only booze in the house right now is a $300.00 bottle of port that my cousin from England gave me 40 years ago. I need to decant that properly before I drink it. It wasn't $300.00 when he gave me the two of them, but it went up in value considerably over the decades. We had one last year and it was really good.
Oh, look it's our old kitchen!
Pizza sounds really good right about now, not sure what we are having.
All the best to all.
Here's a PSTC Philly Transit "Brill Bullet" car I rode today.
Philly_Transit by Edmund, on Flickr
This is a pretty neat transit system!
Tomorrow we take what is remaining of the Reading North Penn from Philly to Bethlehem, Pa. and look at some of the big steel works there!
Reading-905_Philadelphia by Edmund, on Flickr
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and appreciation for our extended tour, folks! I'm glad you're having a good time
Track fiddlerAnd I have the King Arthur flour for the perfect crust
Costs a little more but I think you'll like it TF.
Our (hard) water is somewhat high in calcium. I don't know if it really makes much difference but I use distilled water, warm it to about 110° F then add the yeast with a tsp. of sugar.
I'll scan the Rustic Dough recipe I use in a few minutes.
Crust_Pizza by Edmund, on Flickr
I have a heavy-duty Kitchenaid with a dough hook that makes kneading a breeze, but you can work the dough the old fashioned way, too. We have some fancy dough-rising containers that are handy for that task but you can improvise here.
Hope you have good results and keep trying until you do. I add a pinch of salt to the mix as I'm adding the flour but that's up to you. The crust is a bit bland without it.
Cheers, and bon appétit, Ed
Good evening
Hockey teams are certainly good John. I wish I wasn't too old to become a part of one today.
We went for an in and out short grocery shop today. All she bought was the few essentials needed to make homemade pizza.
That was all that was needed for me. I was next in line and bought her the flowers I saw her admir after I lagged behind a bit. You got to keep em Happy! And do you see all the cards behind that she gets in the mail! My Judy is very well-liked!
And I do have been known to pay attention.
It took a while to find the flour aisle after I found the flower aisle and the good sausage and all the other fixings.
After all that the homemade Pizza wasn't quite on the list tonight because we stopped at the Mexican restaurant El Loro.
We did have the rather large margaritas. Actually two as John suggested when you go to a Mexican restaurant
Naps were taken when we finally got home and homemade pizza is on the list for tomorrow night because we have all the fixings for it now.
And I have the King Arthur flour for the perfect crust
Brent, I know you had a picture of your hockey rink. Even though we are hundreds of miles south of you and TF, we have some hockey teams here.
https://yorknewstimes.com/news/state-and-regional/cant-get-enough-axtell-dad-builds-hockey-ice-rink-for-junior-storm-son/article_3b7d4e06-9e2e-5b0d-8145-e61d36a0cfc0.html
SeeYou190It is funny as we evacuate. We will hit congestion for a few miles, and that is where all the news crews are filming. A few miles later... 60 MPH and no cameras!
It's funny you mention that.
We've been worried about our daughter and her family in Texas. The news programs show the state completely falling apart.
She called yesterday and told us not to worry. She said the national news went to the very worst places, and filmed the very worst situations, and made it seem like it applied to the whole state.
Schools were open, stores were open, people were going to work, the power was on, the water system was working, etc. The only change was that in her suburb, they were not to drink the tapwater for a week as a precaution.
My dad told me about the 1938 New England hurricane. That brought a lot of flooding and damage to many areas of New England and it tracked into Canada for a bit before dissip[ating.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_New_England_hurricane
This was his back yard in Barre Palins, Massachusetts. The Ware River branch of the Boston & Albany is back there somewhere!
NE_1937-8_0011 by Edmund, on Flickr
Ken, great to talk with you last night!
Howdy....
MLC metioned the 2009 Kentucky Ice Storm. It was one of the worst ice storms ever.
We were cut off from the rest of the world by heavy ice and broken trees. We spent 9 days with no electricty, no county water, no land line phone, and no cell phone. Our only source of heat was the gas log in the fireplace, and it was not enough. We used heavy blankets. Similar to MRC, we placed freezer foods outside, and we put refrigerator foods in the garage. We did not have an abundance of drinking water, but we had some other beverages. We drank cokes, other soda pops, and fruit juices. We also had beer, but we did not consume much of it. In the daytime, we sat near wondows and read books. I also, put together an HO building kit (City Classics Diner) at a table next to a window.
Since then, we purchased a generator, and we made changes to the house wiring so we could use it.
...
Ed ..... You mentioned the Northeast Blackout of 2003. That was another adventure for us. We had arrived in the Detroit area a few hours ahead of it. We went there to attend a wedding, and we were staying at a nice hotel in Troy, MI.
We were getting ready to attend a rehersal dinner. Shelley was in the shower, and she asked to set up the ironing board and plug in the iron. At the exact moment I plugged in the iron, the lights went out. Shelley yelled at me thinking it was just one of my practical jokes. I explained to her the lights of the whole room were out, and I must have tripped a circuit breaker when I plugged in the iron.
I called the front desk to report the problem. At first, nobody answerred. A few minutes later, the front desk clerk answerred, and he explained the entire hotel had no power. He said they were contacting the power company. About twenty minutes later, I called him again for an update. He told me there was a widespread blackout from Detroit to New York City.
I recall saying to Shelley: ... " How do you like that? I plugged in a iron for you, and I triggered a blackout all of the way to New York CIty!"
The next few days were quite an adventure. We had already used the rental car enough to have a near empty fuel tank. Gas stations did not have working fuel pumps. We were stuck.
Being resourceful problem solvers, we obtained bottled water from a conferance room. Our hotel closed its restaurant. So, we walked to a nearby hotel which had a restaurant using ice for storing meat. They made meat sandwiches.
There was no running water, and after a while our toilet was stinky. Thereafter, we walked to the public restroom, and its toilets smelled even worse. The hotel cloesed its swimming pool.
There is much more to this story, but I'm running out of time. Eventually, power was restored, and the bride and groom had their wedding.
Everybody: ..... Have a good night.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
SeeYou190I remember a few years ago a hurricane hit Canada, and they were caught clueless with no plan at all
The East coast gets them occasionally, I don't think they are that clueless and they seem to manage quite well when they do.
Since 1850, Canada has been hit by 240 hurricanes, according to data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's about one or two per year, on average. This may seem like a lot, but not if you consider that more than 2,100 Atlantic and Pacific storms were recorded since then.
We had one here on the West Coast in the early 1960s.They are called Typhoons in the Pacific. Those monster West Coast trees coming down caused lots of damage where I lived.
In 2008 I think it was we had a bad blow and on our property we had 13 trees come down. Seven of them were between 80' and 165' tall fir trees up to 5' in diametre. That was a whole lot of firewood I had to give away.
moelarrycurly4The issue in Texas is, it is hard to be prepared for something that happens once every 100 years.
Very true.
We usually close the schools here if the temperature drops below 45 degrees after sunrise because NOBODY is prepared for that kind of cold weather. I'm not joking around. If you wanted to prepare, you really can't do it locally. No stores sell heavy coats, long underwear, or any cold weather gear. Long sleeve shirts are only on the racks for a few weeks around November/December.
If we were to ever have a deep freeze, it would be a disaster just like Texas, just like a tropical storm hitting the New York / New Jersey area. We shrug off tropical storms like nothing, but up there they are caught with no idea what to do. They even call them "super-storms", we call them rainy days.
I remember a few years ago a hurricane hit Canada, and they were caught clueless with no plan at all.
moelarrycurly4My car can move at 70 MPH, hurricanes rarely exceed 15 MPH, so they cannot catch me. Yeah but the traffic jam caused by all the others tryiong to leave will get you.
The traffic is not as bad as you see on the news. It is funny as we evacuate. We will hit congestion for a few miles, and that is where all the news crews are filming. A few miles later... 60 MPH and no cameras!
Normally I can drive to Valdosta, Georgia in about 8 hours, no rush. During the Hurricane Irma evacuation, the day before landfall, the trip took 11 hours or so. Not bad.
The worst congestion was right after the Florida/Georgia line. In Florida you can drive on the shoulder lanes during evacuation making Interstate 75 a five-lane road. Once you cross into Georgia, it drops to three travel lanes as normal again.
I made it to Atlanta the next day with only about an addtional 60 minutes over normal travel time required.
gmpullmanWe have Mc Nuggets, too
BATMANThe generator keeps the freezer and fridge going and if the disaster strikes in the growing season, there are plenty of vegetables out back waiting to be picked.
Looking_West by Edmund, on Flickr
Once the freezer is emptied out there will be some grilled chicken on the barbie
IMG_4718 by Edmund, on Flickr
Plus plenty of bass and bluegill in the pond —
Largemouth by Edmund, on Flickr
We have Mc Nuggets, too
IMG_2392 by Edmund, on Flickr
The generator is enough to run enough appliances and the water pump and heater, but not all at once. That's OK. Not everything has to run at once, I balance the load. Been through a few 2-3 day shutdowns to test the system.
The 2003 northeast blackout was caused by some low-hanging wire vs. high growing trees right here in NE Ohio. A "software glitch" shutdown 10 million Canadian customers and 45 million in the U.S.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003
The report states that a generating plant in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb northeast of Cleveland, went offline amid high electrical demand, putting a strain on high-voltage power lines (located in Walton Hills, Ohio, a southeast suburb of Cleveland) which later went out of service when they came in contact with "overgrown trees". This trip caused load to transfer to other transmission lines, which were not able to bear the load, tripping their breakers. Once these multiple trips occurred, many generators suddenly lost parts of their loads, so they accelerated out of phase with the grid at different rates, and tripped out to prevent damage. The cascading effect that resulted ultimately forced the shutdown of at least 265 power plants.
SeeYou190All those young ants would come over and beg for twinkies and nutty-buddies!
Nope! My kids do not eat junk food. My son made as much as $2000.00 a day doing movies and TV work. He was categorized as a "Special Extra" just for his ability to run and climb all day long on set. He made good money being fit. In one show he wore the superheroes costume and ran after the bad guy at full speed over and over again for 14 hours. After he did that he got more work than he could handle. He also plays very competitive hockey when he can. Effort reaps rewards just as being prepared does.
My wife has a degree in nutrition and we are well aware of the chemical soup found in pre-packaged food, not to mention the junk.
The generator keeps the freezer and fridge going and if the disaster strikes in the growing season, there are plenty of vegetables out back waiting to be picked.
My car can move at 70 MPH, hurricanes rarely exceed 15 MPH, so they cannot catch me.
Yeah but the traffic jam caused by all the others tryiong to leave will get you.