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The MAY, 2021 Diner: Touring the US Anthracite Region

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  • Member since
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  • From: Kentucky
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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Sunday, May 9, 2021 9:52 PM

Howdy .... 

TF .... That mask is creative. LOL 

Kevin:  ..... Gutters? .... We had all of ours replaced when we had the roof replaced a couple of weeks ago. I don't think any of that should be do-it-yourself projects. My My 2 Cents

Ed ... The Boston Cream Pie looks good even though it is not really a pie as you said. .... The Reading RR layout in the video is impressive. 

....

Today, we celebrated Mother's Day by going out to eat at my wife's favorite Asian restaurant in Murray which is 30 miles west of here. After eating, we went to JC Penney's which was having a going-out-of-business sale. We bought a few items discounted 75% or better. Sad to see the store closing permanently. 

 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 9:35 PM

SeeYou190
I cannot get the gutters off of my house! I removed the long nails, I do not see any other fasteners, and I can pry them away from the house. However, they will not budge and come free. I am afraid that one of the re-roofs might have put an adhesive behind them.

 

Did the roofers put some kind of caulk near the top of the back of the gutter?  

York1 John       

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 9:11 PM

I cannot get the gutters off of my house!

I removed the long nails, I do not see any other fasteners, and I can pry them away from the house. However, they will not budge and come free.

I am afraid that one of the re-roofs might have put an adhesive behind them.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 9, 2021 7:25 PM

Here's a look at the modules at the club where Randy was involved. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him enjoying the operations but I didn't see him in this go-around.

        

Fun to watch, though. These guys have a nice setup Bow

Regards, Ed

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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 9, 2021 6:35 PM

Good evening

It's funny how things come round in clusters of three but they do.  The other night we had individual slices of Boston Cream Pie at the drive-in.  It was so good, on Saturday I went and bought the whole pie.  And now it's being postedLaugh

I bought a new mask today while I was out.  

Judy was laughing when I picked her up from work.  I gave her those flowers that are behind me with my mask on.

 

 

 

TF

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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 9, 2021 6:07 PM

SeeYou190
Is Pecan Pie a Pennsylvania thing?

Maybe I didn't use the right phrase when I wrote "traditionalists". I guess I meant those folks who would prefer a more "mainstream" pie. Shoefly is probably more of a niche variety.

Personally, I'll have a slice of Boston Cream, which isn't really pie but that's what it's called just the same Confused

 BC_pie by Edmund, on Flickr

 Some of the first references to pecan pie in America originated in Louisiana and Alabama.

Cheers, Ed

  • Member since
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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Sunday, May 9, 2021 6:00 PM

SeeYou190

 

 
gmpullman
Or for you more traditionalists, a Pecan variety:

 

Is Pecan Pie a Pennsylvania thing?

I have always associated it with Georgia.

-Kevin

 

 

Pecan pie is served in all of the southern states.  

if you want the ultimate pie (my opinion), get an authentic Kentucky Derby Pie made by Kern's. 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 5:18 PM

gmpullman
Or for you more traditionalists, a Pecan variety:

Is Pecan Pie a Pennsylvania thing?

I have always associated it with Georgia.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 9, 2021 4:49 PM

Heartland Division CB&Q
It is raining here for Mothers Day.

I had to shovel my rain!

 May_9-snow by Edmund, on Flickr

I was just thinking of getting my bathing suit ready Sad


 

Thank you Mr. Ford:

Chloe has been baking pies all day! We have the favorite of the eastern Pennsylvania "Dutch" — Shoefly pie:

 Shoofly by Edmund, on Flickr

Or for you more traditionalists, a Peacn variety:

 pie-pecan by Edmund, on Flickr

Maybe this will entice a few more visitors to the Diner?

Cheers, Ed

  • Member since
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 9:14 AM

Track fiddler
I don't know why but I always loved coming out in the morning opening the tailgate and pulling out of the driveway watching all that water run down the hill in my rearview mirror.

I do the exact same thing!

Laugh

My house is on a fill of about eight feet, so my driveway is on quite a slope, and I back in like you did. I think the bed gets about 1/4 full in a rainstorm.

gmpullman
There is a flat bed truck trailer, loaded with nine "Reading" work truck bodies stacked vertical and the semi trailer they are loaded on is chained to a railroad flat car moving across the bridge.

We used a lot of Reading service bodies at work. They were expected to last through two or three chassis.

Heartland Division CB&Q
Kevin .... Those Florida trees are beautiful. 

Thank you Garry.

I was very concerned for the last month as my neighbor's trees were "Springing" to life, but mine were  not looking good. I am relieved that things are looking fresh, green, and healthy now.

I just received this announcement:

This is huge news for me! I am going to get to go to a four day wargame convention for the first time in two years! I cannot wait to roll dice and push metal soldiers around.

This has me very excited. I have had almost no social interactions in such a long. I am finally going to see people, laugh, have fun, and hang out.

NOW... Bring on the Train Shows!

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Kentucky
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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Sunday, May 9, 2021 9:00 AM

Good morning, everybody ..... 

It is raining here for Mothers Day. 

Kevin .... Those Florida trees are beautiful. 

TF..... That is good your granddaughters will be visiting. Enjoy !

Ed .... Your post about the coal breaker is very intersting. Thanks for sharing it. If you want to repat it in the coal hauling thread, feel free to do so. 

Everybody .... Have a good day. 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 7:26 AM

Good morning, diners.  Just coffee this morning.

Several granddaughters are coming for a visit today.  I will clean the layout room before they get here.  I'll clean it again after they leave.

We had big thunderstorms last night.  Normally I don't wake up, but these were loud.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday.

York1 John       

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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 9, 2021 5:44 AM

Interesting photo.

Utility truck beds perfectly aligned with the utility poles.  One of those one in ten thousand photos from the focal point tricked me.  They looked like the big counterbalance weights I seen on a Milwaukee Road Bridge is why it baffled me.

Thanks for clarifying that one.

 

 

 

TF

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 9, 2021 5:10 AM

Track fiddler
This is what I was talking about yesterday morning. I've never seen nothing like that up on tall poles before.

I think the exact location of the train, right behind the insulators on the pole is making an "optical illusion".

There is a flat bed truck trailer, loaded with nine "Reading" work truck bodies stacked vertical and the semi trailer they are loaded on is chained to a railroad flat car moving across the bridge.

The big, brown insulators on the pole are obscuring most of the wheels and axles on the flat-bed trailer on flat car.

That's the way I interpret it, anyway Huh? Like these, but in primer and stacked like soldiers:

 Reading_body by Edmund, on Flickr

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 9, 2021 4:51 AM

SeeYou190
 
Heartland Division CB&Q
I saw a photo recently of a gondola when it was nearly new. It was filled with water after heavy rains.

 

The bed of my pickup truck fills with water in the rain now. Apparently whatever drain holes it had have become plugged. I could turn it around in the driveway so the gate is on the downslope.

 
I had an old Ford that did that.  The road out front of my house was a slight incline and so was my driveway I always backed into.  I don't know why but I always loved coming out in the morning opening the tailgate and pulling out of the driveway watching all that water run down the hill in my rearview mirror.  Maybe because starting the morning with a laugh was a good way to start the dayLaugh
 
 
 
 
 
 
TF
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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 9, 2021 4:37 AM

Good morning

I'll check out the Old Saint Nicholas Coal Breaker in a minute Ed.

This is what I was talking about yesterday morning. I've never seen nothing like that up on tall poles before.

I couldn't see the wires on my small phone screen until I zoomed in on it this morning.  Still don't know what it's for?

 

 

TF

  • Member since
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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 9, 2021 4:29 AM

 

Breaker — breaker, good buddy...

Let's explore coal breakers on a Sunday morning.

From the Wikipedia article:

The first function of a coal breaker is to break coal into pieces and sort these pieces into categories of nearly uniform size, a process known as breaking. The second function of a coal breaker is to remove impurities (such as slate or rock), and then grade the coal on the basis of the percent of impurities remaining. The sorting by size is particularly important for anthracite coal. In order to burn efficiently, air must flow evenly around anthracite. Subsequently, most anthracite coal is sold in uniform sizes. In the 1910s, there were six commercial sizes of coal (with the smallest size having three subsets):

 

  • Steam – 4.5 to 6 inches (11 to 15 cm) in size (primarily used as steamship fuel).
  • Broken – 3.25 to 4.5 inches (8.3 to 11.4 cm) in size.
  • Egg – 2.25 to 2.3 inches (5.7 to 5.8 cm) in size.
  • Stove – 1.5 to 1.625 inches (3.81 to 4.13 cm) in size (primarily used in home cooking stoves).
  • Chestnut – 0.875 to 0.9375 inches (2.223 to 2.381 cm) in size.
  • Pea – 0.5 to 0.625 inches (1.27 to 1.59 cm) in size. There were three subsets of "pea coal":
    • No. 1 Buckwheat – 832 to 1032 inch (6.4 to 7.9 mm) in size.
    • No. 2 Buckwheat – 632 inch (4.8 mm) in size.
    • No. 3 Buckwheat – 332 to 432 inch (2.4 to 3.2 mm) in size.

Coal pieces smaller than 332 inch (2.4 mm) in size were considered "culm," and unable to be separated from the impurities (and thus useless). The grade of coal ranged from a low of 5 percent impurities for steam or broken coal to a high of 15 percent for pea-size coal and its subsets.


 

Much has been written about the young "breaker boys" —

 Breakers, Kingston, Penna. by Edmund, on Flickr

 Breakers sorting, at-work by Edmund, on Flickr

And a happy Mother's Day to those so inclined Gift

Regards, Ed 

  • Member since
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 9, 2021 12:17 AM

Good evening everybody. It has been a little quiet in the diner.

Matters on my botanical front are improving daily, much to my relief. Last month I posted pictures of my sickly looking Queen Palm. Since then, two new fronds have sprouted, and they look to be healthy.

Even after I cut through a whole bunch of the roots for the Madagascar Deciduous Palm, it is still gowing foliage and looking healthy!

Today the first blossom appeared on the Royal Poinciana. Late, but it still counts!

Even the Hibiscus has joined in the new healthy life of my plants.

All this is quite a relief. Everything was looking bleak and sick just a few days ago. Now my yard is looking like it is filled with life and tended with care.

The World Is A Beautiful Place.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, May 8, 2021 8:48 PM

gregc
There's no mention of the Yeungling Brewery (oldest in country) in Pottsville

The real Yuengling brewery is in Tampa, Florida. This one is the workhorse of the organization. The obsolete one in Pennsylvania is just for advertising and mythology.

I'll bet they spill more beer in a month at the Florida brewery than they make in a year at that one in Pennsylvannia.

Heartland Division CB&Q
I saw a photo recently of a gondola when it was nearly new. It was filled with water after heavy rains.

The bed of my pickup truck fills with water in the rain now. Apparently whatever drain holes it had have become plugged. I could turn it around in the driveway so the gate is on the downslope.

Or... maybe I should get out the torch.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, May 8, 2021 7:45 PM

gmpullman
I mentioned in the prior thread a heat gun for crafters that I find handy for seversal tasks, similar to this one:

Thanks for the link Ed. I just ordered one. I think I will be much more comfortable using a small heat gun rather than the butane torch.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
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  • From: Kentucky
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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Saturday, May 8, 2021 7:02 PM

Speaking gondolas, I saw a photo recently of a gondola when it was nearly new. It was filled with water after heavy rains. Evidently, that would happen until railroad car maintenance workers would cut holes in the bottoms with their torches. Shippers of scrap metal did not want to pay to ship the extra weight caused by the water. 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, May 8, 2021 6:53 PM

hon30critter
I also purchased a small butane torch precisely for the purpose.

I mentioned in the prior thread a heat gun for crafters that I find handy for seversal tasks, similar to this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Mlife-Shrinking-Embossing-Multifunctional-Hand-hold/dp/B08DNRJ3PS/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=heat+gun+for+crafts&qid=1620517865&s=hi&sr=1-16

I also have a nice Dremel butane torch for soldering brass and such but for softening plastic I think the heat gun worked out very well for me.

I need to "weather" some heavy rust spots on there, too. A recent conversation on a PRR forum mentioned cars that got so hot from loading billets and pig iron that the paint burned off and the only way to find the car number was to look on the truck bolster!

 

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Saturday, May 8, 2021 6:51 PM

Greg .... Thanks for posting the picture Yeungling Brewery .... 

Ed ...... That gondola looks to be in bad condition. I know real gondolas tend to have more damage to them than other types of freight cars. Much of the damage is from hauling scrap metal. 

John York 1 ..... The picture of Omaha shows how easy it was for passengers to change trains between UP and CB&Q. Rail travel was much better before Amtrak. 

Everybody ..... Have a nice evening. 

 

 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

  • Member since
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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, May 8, 2021 5:49 PM

gmpullman
Were we talking about distressed gondolas in the Diner or was it another thread? I finally found the one I was working on buried in the staging yard. I know Dave was in on the conversation:

Hi Ed,

Yes, I was in on the conversation. I have purchased several gons since then with the intention of bashing them up a bit. I also purchased a small butane torch precisely for the purpose.

Your gon looks to be severely abused! I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for it!Smile, Wink & GrinLaughLaugh 

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, May 8, 2021 4:26 PM

not sure if i missed it, but there's no mention of the Yeungling Brewery (oldest in country) in Pottsville

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, May 8, 2021 4:09 PM

Hello, all. Still cold and rainy here. Maybe it's my fault for buying that new John Deere? (It does have a snow blower, though Whistling)

 

Track fiddler
But I can't for the life of me determine what the rust colored heavy-looking weight things on the top of the tall poles is for?

I can't quite pinpoint what you're asking about, TF? The utility poles? Rust colored, as in insulators?

 Bridge_crop by Edmund, on Flickr

I recall seeing utility truck bodies with "READING" across the tailgate. I'll bet these were from them.

https://www.readingbody.com/

Were we talking about distressed gondolas in the Diner or was it another thread? I finally found the one I was working on buried in the staging yard. I know Dave was in on the conversation:

 CRIP_Mill-gon-distressed by Edmund, on Flickr

Now I've got to remember where I put the grab irons and sill steps Sigh

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, May 8, 2021 2:11 PM

                POST HOG!

Well I'm off to see my daughter's for a barbecue.

 

Have a good afternoon everyoneWink

 

 

 

TF

 

 

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Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, May 8, 2021 10:16 AM

NorthBrit

TF.   Send us some nice warm weather.   It is icy cold,  sleety rain here.

 

David

 
That wasn't me David!  It didn't send that cold Icy sleet.
 
I think that possibly could have been Brent that sent it after his first shot of bourbon last night.  It takes an acquired taste to enjoy the taste of bourbon that few people have.  And I'm not one of them.
 
I had a shot of bourbon once and it came back up faster than it went down and shot across the room like the Fountain of YouthIck!  I didn't want to say anything last night because I wouldn't want to pre-spoil something that possibly could be good for someone.
 
I've been working on sending the nice warm weather but it doesn't seem to stick.  I'm hoping to have the nice warm weather consistent way before the Summer Solstice.  But the way it's been going so far it doesn't look good.  Maybe I need to get one of those Ouija Boards or somethingHuh?Laugh
 
 
 
 
George Thorogood invited Judy on stage for a shot back when she was a young knockout and she'll never forget it.
 
 
 
 
 
TF
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Posted by NorthBrit on Saturday, May 8, 2021 8:56 AM

Good  afternoon Diners.   An Americano with a little sugar,  Chloe, please.  That coffee cake looks inviting.  A piece of that as well.

 

TF.   Send us some nice warm weather.   It is icy cold,  sleety rain here.

Bear   Like the Toon.  Bow

Kevin   How do you keep going?   I get tired just reading about  what you are doing.   Looking good though.

 

Took Dawn to the local Health Center. Second time this week.     A bad week of news for her.   A case of picking herself up (again) and dusting herself down. 

 

I shall run a few trains this afternoon.

 

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

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Posted by howmus on Saturday, May 8, 2021 8:46 AM

gmpullman
We STILL have the wood stove fired up. It was 43° last night — brrr.

Yep!  Here it is the second week in May and the current temperature outside in the Finger Lakes Region is 42°F at the moment with a high of 53° later.  At least I am not wasting electricity running the Air Conditioner yet.......  Getting tired of wearing flannel shirts though....Sigh

Caught another mousie down on the layout a couple days ago.  Have some major cleaning to do before I do anything else.  They left lots of little calling cards and nibbled on a bit of scenery where it is noticable.  Maybe I should run some trains and scare them away???

Couple weeks from now the Museum will be opening up for rides finally.  I will likely sign on for car host for it at least one of the days that weekend.  Will be good to get back on the trains.

Stay Safe out there!

73

Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO

We'll get there sooner or later! 

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