So for those in England, Where did the term "Lorry" originate from?
Not much going on here, got 3 more inches of snow on top of the 9+ we had,
Thaw starts the weekend
our southern command got tons of snow. we are planning to go down next wekk to get away.
NorthBritEven today if I see a road haulage vehicle I wonder where it is going? Where has it been? Sometimes it is 'He's a long way from home'.
A while back I stumbled upon these vids of the huge steam lorrys of England:
While North America had many steam traction engines I don't recall many "over-the-road" steam trucks. Operation of these vehicles must have been quite the chore.
My fascination with vehicles of Great Britain stem from the Matchbox cars and lorrys I collected as a kid. One of my favorites was the "Showman's Engine" all fancied up
I'd still like to get my mitts on one of these Wilesco live steam models:
wilesco_Showman-engine by Edmund, on Flickr
Let's ride the Strasburg on a slightly warmer day:
Time to haul in the trash trolley and get the mail —
Homemade pizza tonight
Cheers, Ed
I have been retired for five years now, and I still have dreams about work. They have nothing to do with anything I actually worked on, but instead was about having to find my new office. Most of the dreams for some reason concern not getting what I wanted at the cafeteria.
Years earlier, I used to dream of subways, having grown up outside of New York City. Those dreams actually stopped when I built my own model subway.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Just got back from Walgreens and the post office. The post office costs way more than the candy does.
They were basically giving the leftover Valinetines candy away just like every other year. I never forget these things just like the bunny I dont. But it's the thought that counts.
Valentine's chocolate to my daughter's, son and grandsons taste just as good and cause just as many cavities a half a week later
I'm the kind of guy that slides in at the last minute for the deals
They all know by now it's going to be late, they just expect that
I'm not retired yet by choice. I might as well be though. I've only worked once in the last three months I think
It's snowing here again
TF
NorthBritWe spent the afternoon watching travel programs of places we would like to visit when this Covid stuff is over.
Hey David.... One thing I am planning to do when the Pandemic is finished is to fly to Jolly Old England and visit my Son at Rookswake. Maybe we could meet in person when I do that? (At least hoping I outlive the pandemic.. LOL)
I am in the process of upgrading my Mac to Big Sur. Seems I can't do my taxes intil I do. The new program for this year won't instal and run on High Sierra. So.... We shall see if all goes well. If I disappear for a while you'll know what has gone wrong! LOL
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good evening all. We spent the afternoon watching travel programs of places we would like to visit when this Covid stuff is over.
Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice. Easy meal to make tonite.
Stay Safe.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Hello from cold Kansas. My new job is keeping me hopping, so far 7 days a week, although most of the extra work is related to extreme cold and all the issues stemming from that. Not much time to visit here.
Oh Man!!!
No more blue toes and Frozen Finger extremities? Darn it! And just when I was getting used to it too
Good Morning,
I retired Nov/13 and I too have work related dreams. Mine are usuallyvin the office or I'm on a work trip and there is a flight problem or hotel mix-up. Always imaginary places never actual towns or airports I've actually been.
Ed, my first job out of Uni in '71 was with CGE in the Housewares Div. plant in Barrie,ON. I was in the Finance Dept there doing boring accounting work. I only lasted a year before going to work for Sunoco as a Retail aSales Rep, a job I really did like. I was a very restless fellow when young and being on the constant move going from station to station suited me.
TF, it is getting warmer out there so won't be sending cold air down to you for a few days at least. Sorry, I do know how you enjoy it.
Dave, saw that Mc Keen car on another thread, what a beauty!
Time for more coffee.
CN Charlie
gmpullman
I don't know what happened, officer. We were just sailing along minding our own business and the bridge jumped out in front of us.
gmpullman Heartland Division CB&Q Ed ..... I watched the interesting video about ships crashing. There is a picture to the link showing the ship that crashed in recent years on Kentucky Lake near here where I live. So, I watched the video and did not see that crash. I see that pretty often from the YouTube people that try to get "click bait". I normally wouldn't have posted one like that but I just happened to see it the other day and remembered it to show TF that, yes, sometimes ships DO crash like highway vehicles. If something was designed or operated by man ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggner%27s_Ferry_Bridge Cheers, Ed
Heartland Division CB&Q Ed ..... I watched the interesting video about ships crashing. There is a picture to the link showing the ship that crashed in recent years on Kentucky Lake near here where I live. So, I watched the video and did not see that crash.
I see that pretty often from the YouTube people that try to get "click bait".
I normally wouldn't have posted one like that but I just happened to see it the other day and remembered it to show TF that, yes, sometimes ships DO crash like highway vehicles.
If something was designed or operated by man ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggner%27s_Ferry_Bridge
Ed .... That's an interesting video explaining how fishing was affected by the Eggner's Ferry Bridge collapse. There is a lot of fishing on the two lakes that form the Land Between The Lakes.
The ship involved in the accident is an unsual design. It carries rocket parts for NASA from Huntsville, AL to Cape Canaveral, FL. Its route is Tennessee River northward to Ohio River. Then west to Mississippi River where it goes south to the Gulf. From there, it follows the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ... I'm not sure why they ship over the waterways, but I suspect some of the cargo is too big for railroads or trucks.
Most of the cargo on the waterways here is coal, sand, rocks, grain, or other bulk cargo, and it is hauled on barges instead of ships.
Rest of the story....... Reportedly, the crew of the ship was drunk.
The accident was on January 26, 2012.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
I still have dreams about being on a big job site. I'm usually trying to get from one end of the job to the other, for a concrete pour, and so many obstacles I have to overcome to get there.
When I wake up, I lay there and smile, as I hear the early morning traffic on my street, of those going to work.
Get to work!!
Non of this bothers me, I've been retired since July 1, 2012, and lovin everyday of it!.
Mike.
My You Tube
Good morning all. If this dark cloud passes it could be a warm day.
Boy am I glad I am retired. I used to in the road haulage transport industry. I had been around road transport since I was seven years of age. With family permission lorry drivers would take me to Hull or Liverpool or maybe Northumberland. Once I started work I had to be close to road transport. What used to be an interesting and enjoyable job. Stressful yes, but I enjoyed it. Then things changed for the worse on arrival of a new manager. Closure was manipulated and the Company became smaller. I and many others left the Company. I hear it is now so target orientated it is a nightmare. Anyone reaching a target is now immediately increased.
Even today if I see a road haulage vehicle I wonder where it is going? Where has it been? Sometimes it is 'He's a long way from home'.
On my layout there is an abundance of transport vehicles.
Coffee Time
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
I still have bizarre dreams about my job and I retired after 38 years back in April of 2016. When I started at GE in 1978 there were over 2000 hourly and 600 salaried people at the plant I worked in, part of Lighting. Back then there were over 30 GE Lighting plants in Ohio alone.
When Jack Welch rose to power everything changed. GE could get a 20% return just by shuffling debt around. On a good day a factory was considered financially viable if it returnd 3-5%. GE moved more into finance and insurance and let the industries decline. Katrina, 911 and 2008 sure changed all that!
When I left there were 33 hourly and five salaried people left. Honestly, the day before I retired they announced the plant closing. I could have stayed on another year and got an additional two-years' severance pay. I had about 72 hours to decide. Glad I retired Glad, too, I didn't have to depend on that additional severance to survive. Thankfully my pension is still intact... today.
Pearl_7C_0059_edited-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
I sure miss being with the people, though. Most of my career was as a Millwright and pipe fitter, welder. I really enjoyed my time on the job. Many days it was challenging to figure out a problem and what to do to correct it. We ran 'round the clock and I worked a rotating shift. That's why I'm up typing at 5 AM
One day I heard they were bringing a telescope mirror blank in for us to load on a flat car. THAT was the kind of neat stuff that went on to make the job interesting!
NOV_2013_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
I don't see the kind of camaraderie with the people working jobs today. Back then we had company picknicks, bowling leagues, softball teams, Christmas parties for the employee's families and kids, company-sponsored summer camps and a lot of union activities, too.
Most of the buildings have been leveled now and I have no desire to go back and see what's left.
It was good while it lasted
Regards, Ed
SeeYou190I am so relaxed now. Having no worries is an excellent place to be.
Hi Kevin,
You obviously took your responsibilities very seriously. You are to be congratulated for that!
I took my job very seriously too, but unfortunately my employer, Sears Canada, didn't understand how to do that. My managers were so bad that I gave up on hoping that my installed home improvement customers would be treated properly. Towards the end, one in three customers was being screwed totally. I couldn't take that any more so I quit.
I am very relaxed now too. I don't miss work one little bit!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
My last day of work was Monday, 17/FEB/2020, so as of midnight, I have officially been retired for an entire year!
I worked for my previous employer for more than 30 years. My job defined my entire adult life. I started there when I was 21 years old. I qualified for early retirement because my age (52) and years of service (30) added up to more than 80. I was one of the youngest people that qualified.
I am amazed how long my work life still entered my mind.
One of my biggest responsibilities was making sure that about 30 large assets were in the correct place all the time. I had large facilities I managed in Atlanta, Charlotte, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. I had smaller facilities I used sometimes in Nashville, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, and Chesapeake. Sometimes it seemed I spent entire days on the phone with Southeastern Freight making sure things were being shipped on time to the correct locations.
For months after I retired I would find myself suddenly very concerned about the status of these shipments, and I would start to fret. I would realize it is not my problem anymore, and then I would kind of chuckle.
I also found myself worrying about budgets, inspections, tool audits, channel readiness, new product releases, and so on...
Finally, a couple of months ago, it seemed my brain realized I can relax and not worry about anything anymore. It is really astounding how long it actually took for me to turn it off.
I am so relaxed now. Having no worries is an excellent place to be.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I've just been reading about the very serious cold weather situation in Texas. Things seem to be pretty bad. Not to minimize the serious situation that the Texas citizens are in, but I noted in particular that the sea turtle population is in trouble. Thousands of turtles have been brought into the community center on South Padre Island because they won't survive the cold, but the power has been off for most of the time so it is questionable as to whether or not the rescue will succeed. Tragic!
I will hope for a huge change in the weather!
And now I'm going to crash
Good night everyone. It's after high noon and I'm hitting the rack
I'll see you all tomorrow. Sleep well Kids
Heartland Division CB&QEd ..... I watched the interesting video about ships crashing. There is a picture to the link showing the ship that crashed in recent years on Kentucky Lake near here where I live. So, I watched the video and did not see that crash.
Howdy ....
TF, John York 1, MLC, and Tim. ..... Thanks for the welcome home.
Tim ..... Thanks for sharing your memorable experience of winter driving. Sad, the VW driver died in the crash.
Ed ..... I watched the interesting video about ships crashing. There is a picture to the link showing the ship that crashed in recent years on Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River with a dam.) near here where I live. So, I watched the video and did not see that crash.
Here is another picture of it.
The bridge was built in the 1930's. A temporary replacement span was installed after about 4 months of work.
Our neighbors happened to be driving across the bridge at the time. They were on another span approaching the one that fell into the water. Fortunately, no vehicles fell in the water.
The ship went under the wrong span. The correct span had enough clearance.
Since then, the bridge has been replaced with a modern one with four traffic lanes.
Sweet!
I'll be back in the dining car and have the coffee ready at 5:57 just before we arrive in Lancaster for breakfast.
After that I'll be sitting at the end of the booth
Beautiful picture. You were lucky to capture that as they are a timid bird and get scarce easily.
Those Pileated Woodpeckers are an incredible bird Ed. I've always admired their bright red mohawks. People with tall hollow wooden chimneys have problems with them. Apparently, and I just learned this about 7 years ago. The males go to the highest place they can find, to make the loudest noise they can find, pecking loudly to attract a female candidate is thier mating ritual in the early spring. And that's why you always hear those loud knocks in the early spring. And a little later in the spring if she was late in finding him. Other than pecking holes to come back to later to eat the bugs that crawl in to hide, they don't peck for the heck of it. The peck is their job and they do it well
The world is a beautiful place
Well, it is time to skeedaddle along the PRR "Broad Way" and hop aboard The Admiral for an early-morning departure from Altoona, 2:50 AM and we will have the Diner set off in Lancaster Pennsylvania at 6:03 AM in time for an early breakfast.
PRR_General_0001 by Edmund, on Flickr
Yes, there was still lots to see and do in the Altoona area. we barely set foot in the Railroader's Memorial Museum. Well, that's an excuse for another visit.
Once we arrive Lancaster we can spend some time at the State Of Pennsylvania Railroad Museum and, of course, the ride to Paradise on the Strasburg Railroad.
PRR_General_0002 by Edmund, on Flickr
All the snow accumulation has made our bird feeders a popular attraction. Those darned Starlings are emptying the feeders almost every day but at least the ground feeders are staying busy, and FED!
Today we had TWO Pileated woodpeckers visit along with at least a dozen bluebirds and lots of purple finches, plus the usual tufted titmouse, chickadees, sparrows and, those beautiful, bright red Cardinals!
Pileated_x2 by Edmund, on Flickr
I just got five very nice HO scale automobiles from Oxford Automobile Company in England. They range from a 1949 Mercury 2 dr., a 1950 Oldsmobile 2 dr., a 1954 Pontiac Chieftan 4 dr. through to two 1961 Chevrolet Impala convertibles. These look to be much closer to HO scale than some of Oxford's early North American offerings which were a bit on the large side, but I haven't measured them.
The paint jobs and details are extremely well done. They do not look toy-like in any way. They don't have separate clear plastic headlights but that can be fixed easily if you want to illuminate the cars. They even have detailed license plates and appropriate width whitewalls.
I have no affiliation. I'm just a very satisfied customer. I will certainly be buying more of them to populate my layout. I got mine through eBay and there was a discount for purchasing five at once.
Update:
I just ordered seven more. They are really well done!
I can understand it too Dave.
This thing has been extremely hard on restaurants. That sounds like one heck of a BLT though
There is just something way missing up here. We both really need a vacation. The little four-day getaway in the Frozen cabin just didn't quite cut it. I need some hot weather with the palm trees.
Hey!, .....Maybe I could pack up my pup tent and stay in Kevin's backyard
I would mow the lawn, trim the orange trees and possibly take care of that lizard egg problem to earn my keep
Track fiddlerGot it to go tonight. The only difference is things are not quite the same. Two cheeseburgers was $26
Hi TF,
We have experienced the same thing. Our local diner which we visit at least once per week has increased prices since the start of Covid. I can't blame them. Over the last year they have either been forced to restrict the number of in house diners or close the seated area completely and just rely on takeout. I am happy to say that they have maintained their quality. I ordered a BLT with cheese a couple of days ago and the cheese slice was at least 1/4" thick! They put in so much bacon that you can hardly get your mouth around it.
Good evening
I'm sure you all remember the days I used to take the Stagecoach home from Cowboy Jacks Saloon. Those days were well long gone over a year ago due to the covid.
Well enough's enough. We used to go up there every Wednesday night like clockwork to Chum with our friends and get the Hump Day special $2 cheeseburger basket.
Got it to go tonight. The only difference is things are not quite the same. Two cheeseburgers was $26
They were okay but not like when we were there, and at $13 a cheeseburger, I won't be going back there anytime too soon.
And we didn't even get a beer out of the deal
The fastest car to 60 I've ever ridden in was a Lotus Super 7. It had a 1600cc Cortina engine with 2 Weber 40 side draft carbs. The fellow who owned it also had a '67 Vette with a 427. He said nothing could touch the Lotus to 60. Perhaps JR could give us a perspective on that. It was strange sitting in it and looking at the top of the tires of cars beside it.
CNCharlieI had a '61. I had studded snow tires on it and a gas heater under the back seat so it was great in winter. The heater had only one setting which was max. It got so hot in that car you started to feel ill so you alternated btween freezing and roasting. I had it for a year, 1968.
Yep! My last Beetle was a 1971 Superbeetle which was also my first "new" car. That one I put an extractor exhaust on and souped it up from 60hp. to 72hp. That was a pretty good boost in the little girl so not only was it quick off the line, I could actually do a wheelie with it! A 6th. grade science teacher in one of the buildings I taught in at the time told his class that he could beat any car made in a footrace between telephone poles. His class came to the music room and told me and I said "I don't think so!" So.... I got challenged to a science experiment (at least that is what the school principal classified it as.....) which was a race right out in front of the school one afternoon. The entire student body was either looking out windows or lined up in front of the school to see the great race.
I didn't know that he was allowed to start running before I could start before the race, and I was only allowed to start when he reached my front bumper! I cried foul, but still did the race. I revered her way up and when he went by I popped the clutch and did about a 6" wheelie with the car and roared past him about 5' from the telephone pole finish line! He said that was impossible as the kids were all cheering for their "cool" music teacher.
We did the race 3 times and I beat him every time. For the last couple years that I taught there when the school had a sports day in the stadium at the school we restaged the great race down on the track.... The science teacher was a fine athlette, BTW. Those were fun times. Today both of us teachers would have been fired for pulling something like that and the principal may have been as well for allowing it!
Oh! I did have a pair of chains for that car which I used for pulling a small trailer to Boy Scout Campouts in winter time... That got real scarry a couple of times. Chains are no help at all on glare ice!!!!
P.S. - I also used to pop wheelies with her out in the parking lot of Chemung School where I also taught. A couple of my little students out there liked to see me do that! You may have heard about them. Their names were Todd and Brett Bodine...
I stand to be corrected Ed
Track fiddlerShips don't hit anything like cars do, but they do sink.
Say again?
I learned to drive in my mom's '66 VW bug. Lots of fun times in the snow, sometimes intentional, sometimes NOT!
Moving at a crawl on an icy, steeply banked curve I found myself 180° to my original direction! Well, a yank on the parking brake (that handle between the seats was sure handy!) cut the wheel a bit and alternate between the clutch and parking brake and I got 'er right way 'round
Speaking of East Broad Top, I rember being with my dad on one of their February "Winter Rambles" maybe in '69 or '70 and we got snowed in at Breezewood, Penna. for two days. Pa. Turnpike was closed that whole time. Luckily we had a room already at Howard Johnsons