Good morning everybody .
Ed ....... I agree with you regarding your favorite BN paint sceme. The BN Cascade Green paint sceme never seemed very attractive to me.
TF .... Sorry to hear about theives taking you tool trailer.
Everyone.......... Have a good day.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Wow.
It was a good morning until I read TF's post. It just makes one angry to think that a person's hard work is stolen by someone who doesn't care.
It's interesting about the differences in sleep habits and light. I can sleep in just about any conditions. I fall asleep as soon as I lie down, even with all the lights on. My wife is the opposite. The room must be completely dark, and she will still lie awake for a long time.
When we toured the far north, we spent the summer solstice night at Dawson City. It bothered me that the sun was still shining in around the edges of the curtains at bedtime.
It's a rainy day today, so I guess I will have to put off unimportant outdoor work to do the important things in my life. Layout chores!
York1 John
Good morning
I'll just have a black coffee please.
I have a tough morning to deal with today. As bad luck has it, my tool trailer was stolen again. It's not that we live in a bad neighborhood but at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac for easy pickings I guess. I had a heavy duty tongue shank lock on the trailer but these thieves must have portable acetylene.
I have heard of these Mohican High Steel builders before Ed. Interesting post! Apparently I have no Mohican blood in me whatsoever as I become afraid of heights at about three stories
Yep, I got the call from the Bloomington Police Department early Saturday morning but we didn't want to let it ruin our little get away.
So not only was I bent over backwards by thieves again but now I have to deal with tow charges and two days of storage at (and get this, Chiefs Towing) They found it abandoned at the Comfort Inn hotel.
We had a bunch of stuff left over stored in the trailer from when we closed out our storage facility in Shakopee. The expensive oil bronze twig lights, sconces and Casablanca ceiling fan that I haven't reinstalled yet. Among other things, just sentimental pictures and such.
I'm going to sell or scrap that trailer as it is a bad omen. My brother-in-law told me to take the wheel off the side that does not face the building and put it up on a cement block and remove the Hub. I suppose at that point, it would make the thieves mad and they would take their acetylene torch and cut off the spindle "You Can't Win For Trying". My brother-in-law and I laughed about that one too last night
Have a great day gentleman
TF
Good morning all from a bright, sunny land of the former North British Railway. It is lovely until the icy blasts of wind from the North strikes.
Yes, a few Diners are missing. I hope things are not serious and they return soon.
Dave & Ed Great pictures. Thanks for showing.
Monday is a busy day with deliveries of groceries and other items. Trains will be running late again.
Coffee time with cookies this morning.
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
Hello Railfans!
Top of the morning to yas! And for once.... its actually morning as Webster would define it. Only thing missing is the smell of bacon and eggs.
Some of you have mentioned window coverings for daytime slumbering. I find that a black plastic trashbag (new and only unfolded - still 'uninflated') taped around the window molding is excellent for removing unwanted, unyielding, bright sunlight from coming in. Easy to remove and replace when window service is needed (and bag still usable if you dont tear it!).
While looking like a tinted window on the outside, it also keeps alot of heat out during summer hours too. And normal window dressings can still be applied on the inside for that - homestead look, since the bag lies flat across window.
Now on to more important things.... as if yall didnt know this was coming -
Ed) WOW - just WOW! I have to throw a few 's and a couple of 's toward that video you posted of the 3 railers. I knew about the 'Legacy Lionel PM Berkshire' but never gave it a second look. Im into HO after all, right? Well.....
I first saw one a couple months ago floating on the 'Bay' for about $5700. No lie, i have a pic of it because i couldnt believe it had the price tag of a car. I could tell this wasnt any ordinary Lionel. But had no clue it was a model of the caliber i just watched in the video.
One reason im not into bigger than HO is they never looked like trains to me, more like kid toys (no offense!). And who would have three rails? Heh, well, im giving that some rethink after seeing that incredible video. And the model itself doesnt look like any ordinary Lionel. It looks like a Lionel should..... like an HO loco! Lionel just gained about 10 points of respect from me!
So, i have to ask the Lionel folks among us... can we have some info??? Is this 'Legacy' model a one off? Some kinda special one time only kinda thing or do these things really come with controllable smoke (check out the smoking whistle!) and controllable sound now? Im not talking press a button and you get a pre recorded two longs a short and another long preprogrammed recording, it sounded like each toot was controlled. Even the chuffing was controlled, not just whisping smoke! AWESOME! That cant be stock. It doesnt appear to be one of your 'run-of-the-mill Polar Express' knockoffs, yet it looks like Lionel has a design engineer now that has actual modelling talent in trains.
Ive only ever seen one other loco (G scale NYC Hudson) that was customized to work like that. Though between the two, the LGB's smoke unit blows the Legacy Lionel away, even as good as i just saw it to be.
Ed, thanks for posting that. It really made my morning. That is just an awesome video. Even if it wasnt PM, and say it was an NKP or C&O Berk., that is an awesome model! I dont know about yall, but id love to see one close up, even the innards. Id like to see just what it takes to produce the effects.
Admittedly, at that price, i will remain the kids glowing face in the store window looking in..... and to think, i never gave that model a second look at first glance. But i will say now, Lionel and the 3-Railers..... thanks for raising the bar! Id call this home run a grand slam for sure - outta the park even!
So Ed, in fair play Imma fire this 'NYC' with Pullmans.... back at you! Enjoy my friend, and thanks for the Legacy PM.
Folks, may you enjoy the rest of your Monday! Gonna see if i can find some KK glazed o-rings. Start the day off sweetly!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
Kevin, I have many pairs of name brand sunglasses. But I really need to get me a pair of those bedroom shades
Anytime there's talk of the North Shore Lake Superior
Something to go with your coffee this Monday morning. No mention of trains here but I guess all that steel got from Bethlehem to Manhattan somehow.
This short documentary offers a dizzying view of the Mohawk of Kahnawake who work in Manhattan erecting the steel frames of skyscrapers. Famed for their skill in working with steel, the Mohawks demonstrate their nimble abilities in the sky. As a counterbalance, the viewer is also allowed a peek at their quieter community life on the Kahnawake Reserve, in Quebec.
I found it interesting how many grave markers in the Kahnawake Cemetery were made of steel beams and shapes for the victims of the Quebec Bridge collapse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Bridge
Interesting, too, that most of the lifting hooks do not have the safety catches that are required today. These guys wanted to use their skills to knock the hooks out quickly in order to get a fast-grab on the next lift of steel.
Imagine, too, the stiff leg guy derrick winch operator near the ground floor operating the crane with no vision, only bell signals. Amazing!
Regards, Ed
hon30critter This is typical of the Lake Superior shoreline:
This is typical of the Lake Superior shoreline:
Yes it is and a beautiful picture at that
It wasn't that long ago we passed Duluth and went up the North Shore to Thunder Bay Canada after spending two nights at Lambs Resort Lake Superior, North Shore.
A different world up there with the steeple rocks are quite fascinating as they hold almost a Doctor Seuss look to them. I like the sleeping Indian that is laying down and forms the foothill as soon as you get to Thunder Bay but somehow forgot the story behind it through the years.
When we first got there Judy had been cooped up in the truck too long and really had to relieve herself. Wouldn't you know it, the gravel road I took turned out not to be such a good idea.
While she was squatting by the truck I don't think she appreciated the Canadian Native that appeared with the shotgun and neither did I.
Apparently we had strolled upon Sacred Tribal Grounds. The man with the shotgun wasn't too happy at first but after Judy pulled up her pants and started talking to him, all of sudden everything was okay. Especially after she showed him her LCO Tribal Card.
She ended up introducing me to him and we ended up going out to eat at Boston Pizza, Thunder Bay.
The pizza was OK but I have had much better. Being that the day could have gone much further south then it did, I think the pizza tasted rather good.
We dropped Eli off and checked into our hotel. I remember how Eli laughed at us when I asked him where the Bay was.
Track fiddlerThose fancy curtains that let absolutely no light into the room at hotels could have something to do with it too.
My master bedroom has "black out" shades on the windows, and they do work. Absolutely no light gets in, and I sleep very soundly.
Down here in the tropics, all Summer long, the sun goes down at 9:30 and comes up before 6:00, so the shades do help a lot.
hon30critterNow that we are talking about Bombardier, let's have a look around Thunder Bay where Bombardier has a major rail car/trolley manufacturing plant:
Dave, I don't have a picture I can share (NDA), but Bombardier manufactures some really neat self propelled rail cars for China. They are like super RDCs.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Now that we are talking about Bombardier, let's have a look around Thunder Bay where Bombardier has a major rail car/trolley manufacturing plant:
This is one of the iconic scenes as you enter Thunder Bay. It is called 'The Sleeping Giant'. The Aboriginals call it 'Nanabijou'. Their legends suggest that it is the remains of a person who was turned to stone for showing the white men where the silver deposits at 'Silver Islet' where located:
Silver Islet has an interesting history:
(From Wikipedia)
Silver Islet refers to both a small rocky island and a small community located at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
A rich vein of pure silver was discovered on this small island in 1868 by the Montreal Mining Company. At that time, the island was approximately [50 m²] in size and only 2.5 metres above the waters of Lake Superior. In 1870, the site was developed by Alexander H. Sibley's Silver Islet Mining Company which built wooden breakwaters around the island to hold back the lake's waves and increased the island's area substantially with crushed rock. The islet was expanded to over 10 times its original size and a small mining town was built up on the shore nearby.
After most of the purest ore from the original site had been removed, a second vein was discovered in 1878. By 1883, most of the highest quality silver had been extracted and the price of silver had declined. The final straw came when a shipment of coal did not arrive before the end of the shipping season. The pumps holding back the waters of the lake stopped and in early 1884 the islet's mine shafts, which had reached a depth of 384 metres, were flooded. They would never be de-watered, and the mine's underground operations would never be reopened.
The actual island can be seen in the middle right of this photo. It is the white looking rock:
The tiny village of Silver Islet is quite interesting. Many of the original miners' cabins have been taken over by artisans, and there is a quaint village store/restaurant that serves great food.
I couldn't find very many pictures of the Bombardier factory in Thunder Bay, but here is an interesting history of the plant which originally started out as the Canadian Car and Foundry Company. Not too much on railway equipment I'm afraid:
Thunder Bay, Ontario
"Can Car" was the main plant of Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer during the Second World War. Here, workers built 1,451 of the reliable Hawker Hurricanes that won renown in the Battle of Britain and 835 Curtiss Helldivers, significantly expanding Allied air power. Now a mass-transit factory, this complex retains many early 20th-century elements behind its modern exterior. It speaks to the wartime contributions of its workers, including some 3,000 women who moved into jobs traditionally held by men, mastering new skills such as riveting, welding, and precision drilling. These women would serve as models for later generations.
Canadian Car & Foundry National Historic Site of Canada is located in the southwestern part of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Set within the Bombardier Transportation facility, the site is bordered by Montreal Street to the south; Mountdale Avenue to the east; Neebing Avenue to the west; and the CN railway tracks to the north. The site consists of the existing elements from the Second World War period, including a low-rise two-storey steel-frame metal-clad structure that is divided into Building 1, comprised of Production Bays A, B, and C; Buildings 2, 6 and 8; Building 7 to the south and Building 3 to the north. Official recognition refers to the area of the site encompassing 55,127.36 square metres.
Canadian Car & Foundry was designated a national historic site of Canada in 2008 because: here, at the main plant of Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer during the Second World War, thousands of men and women expertly constructed 1, 451 Hawker Hurricanes for the British Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and 835 Curtiss Helldivers for the American Navy, thereby expanding the Allied forces' air strength; ten percent of the world's production of the reliable and long-serving Hurricane, an aircraft that played a pivotal role in winning the Battle of Britain, were built here; this aircraft production facility is representative of the wartime contributions made by thousands of women, some newly arrived from other regions of Canada, who quickly and effectively demonstrated that women could do non-traditional jobs such as riveting, welding, precision drilling and much more, guided in part by the technical leadership of pioneer aeronautical engineer Elsie MacGill; "Can Car" speaks eloquently to a watershed period in which thousands of women gained new skills, confidence and workplace alliances that would carry them into a changing postwar workplace and society, bringing issues of equality in pay and conditions to the attention of industry, government and unions; this complex, which retains many elements from the first half of the 20th century behind its current exterior, has played an important role in the mass-transit manufacturing industry, its products ranging from railway cars to buses and subway cars.The Canadian Car & Foundry was created in 1909 following the merger of the Rhodes Curry Company of Amherst, the Canadian Car Company of Turcot and the Dominion Car and Foundry of Montréal. With a qualified and enthusiastic production team, the foundry quickly established an exceptional track record. In 1938, the company was hired to supply the British Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force with Hawker Hurricanes, which played a pivotal role in winning the Battle of Britain. The company became the largest aircraft manufacturer during the Second World War, producing more than 2,300 fighters. In 1942, it was contracted to produce SB2C Curtiss Helldivers, which were used by the United States Navy during the War in the Pacific.As male enlistment increased during the war, the Canadian Car & Foundry hired and trained a greater number of female employees. Representing the wartime contributions of women who left traditional ‘female’ occupations to work in the public sphere, the female workers in the factory took on welding, precision drilling, riveting, sub-assembly of instruments and inspection. These technical contributions and changes in labour trends were guided in part by the aeronautical engineer Elizabeth Muriel Gregory ‘Elsie’ MacGill, a person of national historic significance, who oversaw the company’s first original design for the Hawker Hurricane. The period saw women gain valuable skills and confidence, earn financial independence, and helped to demonstrate that women could do non-traditional jobs.After the war, the demand for aircraft dropped exponentially. The Canadian Car & Foundry eventually found a niche in the manufacturing of large transportation equipment, including logging equipment, buses and highway trailers. In 1955, it began producing subway cars for customers around the world, which it continues to do under the current ownership of Bombardier Transportation of Montréal.Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 2008.
Key elements the contribute to the heritage character of the site include: its location within the Bombardier Transportation facility in an industrial neighbourhood of Thunder Bay, Ontario; the polygonal massing of the low-rise two-storey steel-frame metal-clad complex divided into Building 1 consisting of Bays A, B, and C; and Buildings 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8; the original brick walls, the side windows and the clerestory windows in the roof; the three original and visible Production Bays, ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’; the original girders, support and cross beams on the partial walls separating Production Bays ‘A’ and ‘B’ and Bays ‘B’ and ‘C’; the original large walkway toward the east end that connects Production Bays ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’; the three original large rolling doors at the east end of each Production Bay; the manually operated ten-ton overhead crane used during the Second World War in Production Bay ‘C’; the original staircases in Building 8; the integrity of any surviving interior or exterior materials from the Second World War period; viewscapes from the site to the Canadian National railway tracks, the Kaministiquia River and the surrounding industrial buildings.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
More Green for TF
Grain Train at Lyman Junction by NAPM Model Railroad Club, on Flickr
Beautiful!
Cheers, Ed
The last time we were in La Crosse, I felt really bad because it was our last day. Huck Finn's is down a ways from Tom Sawyer's and just to the left on the river bay but did not open until 4 p.m.
Judy really wanted to go so I made sure she got there this time. The food was great. We had the walleye sandwich, coconut shrimp and the lightly battered onion rings.
It was only the second day they were open since the corona. You can always tell when the cooking oil is fresh
I call them Flying Rats! (The third picture shows them best as they came in flocks but the picture shows no justice of what we saw) The seagulls were in abundance. I was worried about getting crapped on while we were eating our food Judy just enjoyed how they dove down in the water and came up with little fish they all fighted over. You should have seen her smiling face as Judy is just like a little kid and might be the very reason I love her so much
The owner of the establishment told us how the bald eagles Kongregate by the hundreds in the fall. I have seen that in Red Wing Minnesota on the Saint Croix River but we might have to go back to La Crosse this Fall to see the same thing from a different perspective.
There are always Golden Eagles in the mix of bald eagles anywhere they congregate for their little convention I have seen those Eagles swoop up ducks. Don't get me wrong as I do like ducks but it is rather entertaining.
hon30critterIt makes one wonder how it was possible to flip that hopper car completely over. Somebody had to really mess up.
This one has me scratching my head, Dave —
NYC_xm1 by Edmund, on Flickr
From all the checking I have done I believe this siding leads into the Ravenna, Ohio Army Ordinance Plant (note the EXPLOSIVES plackard on the end).
NYC_xm2 by Edmund, on Flickr
There's a perfect imprint of the car door in the mud. The track looks freshly ballasted and completely undisturbed! I really don't see how this could have happened.
Things that occurred inside the Arsenal were certainly kept hush-hush so there isn't too much documentation on this event.
Sure seems curious. All I can figure is a shifted load. They made a lot of 500 lb. bombs there.
I did find a newspaper article about a boxcar on fire and, fortunately, the bombs were empty casings IIRC.
gmpullman Glad you're safe and sound back home TF! Honestly, I've had some of my best, most restful sleep while riding a train in the crisp, white sheets of a Pullman berth. If it's a six-axle heavyweight car, all the better, although the Amtrak Superliners have a fairly decent ride. I have a new appreciation for the three-rail guys Here's my favorite BN paint scheme!
Glad you're safe and sound back home TF!
Honestly, I've had some of my best, most restful sleep while riding a train in the crisp, white sheets of a Pullman berth. If it's a six-axle heavyweight car, all the better, although the Amtrak Superliners have a fairly decent ride.
I have a new appreciation for the three-rail guys
Here's my favorite BN paint scheme!
Thanks for the welcome home Ed
Sleep under bridges due to the MR bill
Yep! I got home and it's a good thing I remembered. My PayPal account payment is due on the 24th. The bill all consists of train stuff purchased and I'm glad I remembered.
Not as much as the Green Machines but I like your favorite tan and harbor blue paint scheme BN too! Brent has a picture of one of those machines on a low bent trestle, with his truck that matches parked underneath. I would only hope that he reposts it because I really like that picture.
I saw one of those BN paint scheme locomotives near Memphis Tennessee on my tour of the south vacation when I got lost in the Ozark Mountains in 2019 That's the first time I seen one.
Honestly though, looking more at your picture, those could be black and white and I'm thinking of a different one?
It's that ride on the train and the back and forth wag that I would have to agree I sleep well on a train too. I've only rode on the more modern-day Amtrak's. But when I slept, I slept good.
I can appreciate the 3 rail model railroaders too, and liked the video.
Hopefully the missing Forum members stop in for a visit here soon
gmpullmanSpeaking of tipping over It looks like BNSF has been installing some Kadee wheelsets in this ballast gondola in Denver?
Hi Ed,
It makes one wonder how it was possible to flip that hopper car completely over. Somebody had to really mess up.
One of the members at my old train club, Brian, worked for CN on a wreck recovery crew for many years. He was in the habit of taking pictures of the wrecks, partly for reporting purposes, but also for his own interest. He had quite a collection of scary looking photos. Quite often when cars were crushed or flipped over in a yard it was because somebody didn't get off the throttle when they were supposed to. The damage that even a single switcher could do when one end of a train stopped moving and the power was still being applied to the other end was incredible.
Brian always told the stories with a smile on his face, but things could get a bit sobering when he talked about yard workers getting killed.
Track fiddlerA replacement of a breathtaking bridge picture so I can sleep better would be much more better
If I keep spending money on trains I might be sleeping under a bridge, too!
I like to sleep in a totally dark room, too. Mrs. Pullman can have the blinds wide open and the sun streaming in! Not me. I w**ked off-shifts so much of my career that I need to sleep all hours of the day. It has to be dark!
Here's one for Mr. P. Marquette!
Lookin’ like BN by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
I liked it so much I had to get one for my garden railroad
IMG_1132 by Edmund, on Flickr
Sure was a quiet day in the Diner. Beautiful weather today in NE Ohio!
We're overdue for Ken, The Bear and Lion to check in, anyone else?
Good evening from back at the Homestead.
The Fiddler and Judy winded their way back home from La Crosse Wisconsin today.
The lighting on the River Step Bluffs was really vivid this morning as we said goodbye. Probably because the strong winds blew all the haze out of the valley.
It was so windy that it was a bad day for travel. My truck was all over the road and I saw 18 wheelers looking like they were almost going down the road sideways dog wagging.
We swung through Austin Minnesota to look in on Judy's best friend Sue that had the heart problems a few weeks ago. Judy had to bring her a fruit basket, a cold cut cheese platter, some flowers and a big hug. We just wanted to make sure she had everything she needs as her daughter's doing a good job taking care of her back to recovery.
Sue bought me a tool bag from the dollar auction that she likes to bid in. I gave her a big hug too.
Bridge guy sure likes the High Steel Bent Bridge and needless to say the multiple Green Machines Ed I never seen so many in one place at one time Nice!
They say you sleep the best at home in your own bed. I say Bull Pucky that this is not always true. It could be the fact that I haven't had a vacation in over a year due to the corona. But I found I sleep the best under bridges
Yep, The Radisson had bridge pictures over the beds and I slept like a baby. I think perhaps I'm going to take down the rare, numbered and signed Penni Anne Cross Native American picture we have hanging over our bed at home. A replacement of a breathtaking bridge picture so I can sleep better would be much more better Wish me good luck with Judy on that one
Those fancy curtains that let absolutely no light into the room at hotels could have something to do with it too. I'm going to have to get me a set of those things soon
mbinsewiGood morning gang, something I seen on my Face Book this morning, maybe that building would fit better on the layout if I turn it 90 degrees:
This reminds me of one of the chapters in the life of George Pullman and raising buildings along the lake shore in Chicago:
https://www.classicchicagomagazine.com/moving-buildings-with-george-pullman/
I'll try to find the photo of the apartment building that tipped over somehwere in Asia when they were excavating for a parking garage. You could see the building's pilings were only like little sticks in the mud, no anchorage to bedrock or solid ground.
Found it:
More here:
https://www.engineering.com/story/ever-see-a-12-story-building-just-fall-over
Speaking of tipping over
It looks like BNSF has been installing some Kadee wheelsets in this ballast gondola in Denver?
23rd Street Denver by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Finally a sunny and only slightly cool (59°) day here in NE Ohio. A visit from my son and his wife will be this afternoon
moelarrycurly4MMM donuts!
Yea... MMMmmmmmm!
Thanks John.
Good morning gang, something I seen on my Face Book this morning, maybe that building would fit better on the layout if I turn it 90 degrees:
Here's the story:
https://www.stadafa.com/2019/11/indiana-bell-building.html
Video doesn't work, but the full story and a video is in the link.
Have a great day!
Mike
My You Tube
Good Morning Everyone.
MMM donuts!
Not much to report, I have been on call this past week.
Work is going to send me to another hospital to help deploy new equipment. They are overwhelmed and have gotten behind and have a June deadline. So i will work there a few times, a week at a time.
Good morning. No breakfast for me today, just coffee. It's Donut Day!
I think there are several regular diner patrons we haven't heard from in a while. Hopefully they are just too busy to check in.
Rain today. In farm country, them's good words!
This picture was taken a few miles south of us at Rock Creek Station. The Blue River (actually a small creek) cuts through here with about a ten-foot deep channel.
Before the transcontinental railroad, the wagon trains heading west on the Oregon Trail could not cross the river. A man built a small wooden bridge at this spot, and he charged tolls for the wagons to cross.
He hired a young man named William Hickock to help out. One night, Hickock got into a fight with an unarmed man, and shot and killed him. He took off and began his career as the gunfighter Wild Bill Hickock.
This was when our kids were young enough to enjoy camping. It wasn't too many years before they wanted hotel rooms with bathrooms instead of tents and bushes.
Top of the Page! Donuts are on me! The Krispy Kreme glazed ones are the best.
Good morning all. The sun is shining here in the land of the former North British Railway.
Douglas. We do take care (wherever) we are. Cannot afford the luxury of not doing.
Garry. Glad you are about.
Ken. I hope things are getting better.
A few jobs around the house to do. Maybe get to run some trains later.
Coffee time. Apple & Cinnamon Muffins & Blueberry Muffins are in the Diner.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
When contractors just won't listen!
I had just started at GE and was on a gang helping to get vertical tanks ready for a contractor to patch rubber lining inside the tanks. The "tank farm" was a couple hundred feet behind the plant.
Sometimes you just have a feeling when things are going to go wrong. The leader of the vulcanizing crew was not exactly somebody with "people skills". His group had finished two tanks and it was lunch time.
We told him, "Don't do anything until we get back, we're going to lunch".
Oh boy, what a fiasco we came back to. Lots of hollering and guys running around.
The "boss-man" decided he was going to send his guys into the third tank. Time is money! One of his guys goes in the tank and immediately passes out. Sure enough, a second guy goes in to "rescue" him and he's out.
This is about when we came back on the scene. We called for the plant nurse and called the rescue squad. It was a mess trying to extracate those guys from inside that tank. One had a harness but wasn't connected to a rescue line. The other guy just lowered himself in using a rope ladder.
Neither one came out alive. The boss-man and his people had moved one of the air purge lines and reconnected it — to a nitrogen line.
This was before OSHA had really gotten a footing. GE used vessel entry permits and we would take oxygen readings before going in a vessel. These guys weren't going to take the time to wait for us to come back from lunch to do that?
What a sad outcome. I've heard scenarios like this pretty often in industry. Contractors don't have a "feel" for what the dangers are in the plant. Sometimes an employee is assigned to them and they know enough to listen. Other times they wander off on their own or cut corners and don't obey the safety rules.
Sometimes they get away with it.
For the bridge guy...
Potash over the Snake by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Old School
An old black-and-white photo with one blue one next to the blue streetlight that I thought was interesting.
Judy and I are very strict with our diet and what we consume. A Coca-Cola once or twice a month is a treat.
I never thaught I'd ever see a hand-painted Coca-Cola advertisement on the side of a brick building that had the patina that this one did. I had to stop and take the picture.
PM RailfanKevin) I sure hope that pic of a stack of ties is from your backyard. In hopes that your gonna suprise us by saying your buying a caboose?
Nope. I believe that picture was taken at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga.
gmpullmanWhat I'm refering to are corporations that hire contractors to perform jobs that were once done "in-house".
My worst experience when a contractor was hired to do something we normally did in house was when we hired an outside firm to come in and inventory our Tampa parts warehouse.
We had parts from tiny tamper-proof drive rivets to 750 Kw generator sets in stock.
They did not count any small parts accurately, could not find many items, and could not figure out how to certify serialized inventory.
We had to do it all over again ourselves, and then the finance people were upset of the discrepencies between the two counts... so we hired ANOTHER CONTRACTOR to come in an verify the count.
What a disaster.
Good evening ....
David North Brit, Douglas, and TF. .... Thanks for your kind remarks. Also, again to all who posted workds of encouragement to me over past several days, I sincerely appreciate it.
Ed ..... I like the picture of the Skeena with Park series observation car. I would like to ride that train. My experience riding in a Park series observation was on Via Rail's Ocean in Eastern Canada.
John York 1 ..... I like the photo of UP's City of Portland.
TF .... I like the LaCross photos .... 4-6-4. .... The station. ... Twin Cities Zephyr.
Everybody...... Have a good night.
I gotcha Ed. You probably had that explained but sometimes I just don't catch things. Probably my bad and it's all good.
This Radisson is my kind of hotel as they have Train and Bridge pictures scattered about. I thought of you as I took pictures of a few of the Train pictures they have in the lobby. I thought they were right up your alley as I know how much you like your passenger cars. I've always appreciated how you know about them and the history behind them. I pay attention.
In the lobby.
I hope that Burlington wasn't in motion or else the kid on the bike was really stupid or both
Even if the kid absolutely knew he could make it as all kids think they're invincible. A shoelace could become wound around the pedal and stop him dead in his tracks, but kids don't think like that.
I always enjoy looking at these stainless steel beauties Ed, but I have no idea what they are until I learn sometimes.
Thanks for the dashing compliment. Well there's another big smile on this old carpenters face
Track fiddlerToo bad you never hired me for one of your jobs Ed.
I know there's lots of good, commercial contractors out there, TF. What I'm refering to are corporations (or the US Military) that hire contractors to perform jobs that were once done "in-house".
At GE we used to do all our crane and hoist inspections and repairs. In the 2000s or so GE decided they didn't want any more liability risks for doing the job in house.
So we gave all our parts, manuals and experience to an outfit that was called Cranes-R-Us (or similar).
One time after they finished one of their professional inspections I got called over to a five-ton hoist that would no longer hold the load. As soon as the operator released the up button, the fairly light load, maybe one ton, would come quickly back to earth!
The electrician and I began taking covers off to see what was up with the brake. In order to get to the adjusting screw a pipe plug had to be removed.
I unscrewed the pipe plug and about a half-gallon of oil poured out. Mr. professional filled the brake housing with 90 wt. gear oil!
These are the kind of "contractors" I was refering to.
Nothing was ever said to the Cranes-R-Us people. As it turns out the outfit was owned by one of therelatives of a higher-up.
Take a look at so many of the industrial disasters out there and, not always, but still quite frequently, there's a contractor involved.
The world looks wonderful through the windows of a Park-series observation car!
Skeena at 8 by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
You look dashing in front of that Burlington Hudson, TF! One cool dude
Good evening from La Crosse Wisconsin.
Too bad you never hired me for one of your jobs Ed. Contractor would no longer be a bad word in your vocabulary as I always left a trail of happy customers at a fair price
Good to see you back Garry! Happy to hear you're doing better and I hope things just keep getting better and better for you. They will! , as "Good Karma" always has a way of taking care of itself.
You guys didn't think the Fiddler would go on a mini getaway to a River Railroad Town and not drive around for a few hours to get some Railroad pictures for you, Did you? ..... I didn't think so
Burlington 4-6-4. I don't particularly think our Heroes of the Roads deserve to be cooped up in pens when they retire.
I was interested but I didn't go to the other side to read the history board because there was some rough-looking Heshers smoking weed. To each thier own but they didn't look like the friendly type in my book and I didn't want to get involved with a possible confrontation.
I located the Historic La Crosse Depot that Amtrak still has in operation. I suppose it's still stands proud to this day because the third little pig built his house out of bricks instead of straw
While I was there I was fortunate enough to have a couple of Brent's CP Rails stop by. I was a bit delighted with that while I had my camera out.
I have more but that's enough for now before it all disappears as that usually happens posting from a phone.
Hope you all are well and happy like Judy and me tonight
P.S. I always admired Cuyama's gifted model railroad design talent. It is always bothersome when one of our fellow Forum members is missing here.