MisterBeasleyI know it well. A hockey friend of mine got married there.
How cool! This is the first Convention I have actually gotten to in about 4 years, so I hope it will be a great one! The two I have attended in the North East Region of the NMRA have been excelent with lots of things to do and layouts to see, as well as great clinics and contests. I hope this one will be no different!
73
Well I see I am top of the page. The list now starts with -1 so order up everyone! Meals and drink are my virtual tab for tonight!!!
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
gmpullmanI'm still absorbing the enjoyment of our visit yesterday and, of course, dozens of things pop into my mind of things we should have talked about. The Intermountain ball-bearing wheelsets, the Stratton & Gilette box car (did you see it?) forgetting to take photos
I have done the same thing, About once an hour something pops into my head and I wish I would have talked to Ed about it while I was there.
My wife was pondering today about how we do not have any couple friends. I have a few friends, and she does too, but not a couple we like hanging out with. She said she doubts very much there is anyone like Ed and his wife in our town, but they would be great people to have as friends.
She really enjoyed her time with your wife, and that was very good for her.
I am sorry to hear about Thor. That is very sad news.
Water Level Routevin, do you recall where you were when you took the salt & pepper ballast picture?
I was probably 5 miles South of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Ed I am sorry about the cat. I follow several rescue coonhound pages and the pictures their are just shocking.
My father didn't tell me much of the grim details of war. He said he was afraid he would be at D-day and instead was at the invasion of Southern France two months later, on the flagship for the invasion.
I did research at the National Archives on my Dad's service and there was a war photographer on board. No pics of my dad, but of the King of England visiting the ship, dive bomber damage, a landing craft taking direct hits and several young French women, who found that their relationships with German soldiers earned them a head shaving. Unfortunately I didn't copy any of the pics.
I was a old fashion card catalog library deal. You found something and then asked them to bring up a folder. I could have asked for Mathew Brady originals.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good evening Diners, and thank you for following along on our journey.
Today was the day of the trip where everything went wrong. This will happen, and we just made the best of it.
Not going to share the details, but we could not make it to the train museum we intended to visit.
Plan B: State Parks.
Michigan has some beautiful parks full of nicely laid out and maintained hiking trails.
We made it up to Mackinaw City, and checked out Lake Michigan.
And we checked out Lake Huron.
After seeing Lake Huron, I am up to four of the Great Lakes. Once I see Lake Superior tomorrow, I will have seen them all.
There are lots of sights around Mackinaw City.
Tomorrow we will cross the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Penninsula.
After we got settled in the hotel, I went out to Wienerlicious for dinner, yummy! I had their signature dog, which is a hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried, and covered with cheese. I also had a Chicago style dog.
This is the most aggravating thing about driving in Michigan. They have these stupid signs that tell you what the speed limit WAS, but not what it IS. How is this something that exists?
We saw no trains today of any kind. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to share more. I cannot guarantee train sightings every day.
Oh well, all is good, we are OK, we made some fun today, and The World Is A Beautiful Place.
Hi Kevin,
Sorry you had some problems on Sunday. I'm sure the hot dogs made up for some of it! They made me hungry looking at them!
More great pictures. I have to ask what are we looking at in the fifth picture? It is obviously a sunken structure of some kind but I can't figure it out. There appears to be a bollard on top of it?!?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning all. A coffee with a little sugar and a pancake with maple syrup please, Brunhilda. Leave the coffee jug I feel fragile. My shoulder ad back are giving me a bit of trouble.
Kevin Great pictures of Michigan.
Friends Both Dawn and I talked for a living with our jobs and friends tended to be work colleagues. Now we are retired our life revolves around our family. We do have minor interests involving other people. We are happy with that.
A busy day with deliveries of items ordered, so a day indoors. Two model tanks to paint.
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
hon30critterI have to ask what are we looking at in the fifth picture? It is obviously a sunken structure of some kind but I can't figure it out. There appears to be a bollard on top of it.
I think it is a section of old dock that was positioned to look kind of like a wreck in a park. It might also be intended as an artificial reef that just looks kind of cool.
I loved how clear and blue-green the water was around it.
Good morning
Great pics Kevin. I especially like the bridge and have always loved large ships
I saw the most fascinating wooden bridge but had to pass over it before the camera was ready. With all the things to do and see, I never did get back to that bridge. Here's a link though.
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/south-dakota/keystone-wye-bridge-sd/
The only other wooden highway bridge I've ever seen was in Sioux Narrows Canada.
The bison welcomed us to the Badlands.
I couldn't believe some people we're out of their car 15 feet away, taking pictures of them like they were cute little puppy dogs I thought everyone knew those beasts can be very unpredictable. A picture out the window with one foot on the brake ready to punch the accelerator works just as well Those things are known to be notorious to charge if light shines in their eyes, kind of like a camera lens
Not the greatest pictures of the Badlands. With my phone not working, I did not feel driving way into the interior would be such a good idea.
Got goats!
This is my favorite picture of the whole trip.
Look in the center to the right and see if you see the rock formations do what they do. Don't look and think too hard. Natural rock images were all over the place to make it that much more interesting.
After all was said and done, the Needles Highway was the best part of the trip. The one way tunnels were fun.
It was somewhat fascinating how some people did not wait their turn to go through. Probably the same kids from school that used to butt in front of the lunch line
The divided pass was a little freaky. My side mirrors on the Ram only cleared by inches.
It seems the best are retired. My favorite 1880's Train in Hill City.
Have a great day gentleman
TF
Good morning diners. Chloe, a caramel latte please.
SeeYou190I was probably 5 miles South of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
TF, looks like a fun drive!
Have a good Monday everybody.
Mike
Good Monday morning. I see we're on the weird page for a while. We always seem to make it past without a problem.
David, we're in the same situation here with friends. My job was talking to people all day, everyday. We had several sets of couple friends in New Orleans and it seemed we were with them all the time -- even vacationed together, but we made a decision when we moved that we were going to be a little more private. I've enjoyed the privacy more than my wife.
Sheldon, nice work on that set of built-in shelves. They look like they've always been there.
der5997, that was bad news about the friendly fire. I've read there was a lot more of that than we ever hear about.
TF, it's really nice seeing your photos of the Black Hills. It's one of my favorite vacations. The Badlands are neat to drive through, but a little goes a long way. I agree about the Needles Highway. That's an amazing drive.
Ed, that's too bad about the cat. I also hope it was accidental.
MisterBeasley, you said that you worked at the observatory. What did you do there? That sounds like an amazing place to work.
Brent, New York City is an amazing place to visit. I loved the subways, the diners, and the amazing buildings. I hope you can go.
Ray, hope you can get to the convention. It sounds great.
Charlie, I'm glad you can raise so many plants. I tended to kill everything I tried to grow, so I gave up.
Mike, you and I may work alike. I have projects like your gutters that I can draw out to a year or two, whenever I feel like getting to them.
Henry, that's neat that you were able to find archive info on your father. I don't think our family has ever tried looking to find stuff like that.
Kevin, those are neat photos. I love the hot dog building. I also think it's strange that the signs tell you what the speed limit isn't. I guess they figure you know what the speed limit should be! I also love the picture of the lighthouse. Living on the plains, we don't get to see neat buildings like that.
Dave, I wondered the same thing you did. I couldn't make out what was in the water. I thought it must be the very top of a ship.
For others I've missed or for those of our missing diners, I hope everyone has a great start to the week and safe travels.
York1 John
Not to be THAT guy, but on one-lane traffic actually moves quicker if 2 or 3 cars go at the same time, nose to tail. Takes forever if everybody alternates. People have probably yelled at me before.....
TF, great pics of SD.
Kevin, nice pics of Michigan. I have relatives in Petosky. On Labor Day, one half of the bridge is shut down to car traffic and people walk across that brige. A big, annual event. Good thing you weren't try to cross then.
Looks like it was a great Chicago Dog. I love that style. Not sure about the bacon cheese dog.
- Douglas
John, I was eventually the operations manager at the Observatory. The primary instrument is a 120-foot high- precision dish antenna. We did radio astronomy and radar astronomy. My official title was Chief Observer.
I wrote all the data acquisition and telescope control software, basically by myself. It was kind of a monumental task. It was mostly in FORTRAN. Remember that?
One night we were using the planetary radar equipment to get topology of the surface of Mars. It was only little X's on that old green and white line printer paper, but I was the first human being to see the Grand Canyon of Mars.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Howdy, everybody ....
Kevin .... The hot dogs look good. I'll have one, thanks. (Food is virtual in the Diner.) ..... I suspect you you did not allocate enough time for Michigan. There is so much to see and do. I am glad you solved whatever problems yopu said you had. By the time I type this, you are probably over the bridge and into the UP. It is beautiful up there.
TF .... Your photos of the badlands are great. Thanks for sharing them.
....
Now is the time when my big blueberry bush is full of yummy blueberries. I'm enjoying picking them and eating them.
Model railroading. I have been working on some freight cars. (Replacing missing details. Replacing plastic wheels with metal wheels. Replacing plastic couplers with Kadees.)
Everybody .... Have a good day.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good evening all. A cooler day than of late..
TF Lovely picture of 'the cute dogs'. I don't want to get the 'wrong side of them'.
Taking younger granddaughter to 'Rainbows' then home afterwards.
Herby Chicken, Mash and Green Beans. Fruit and Cream to follow.
Stay Safe Everyone.
MisterBeasley -- Wow! What a job you had. Even your description of it is above my pay grade.
MisterBeasleyI wrote all the data acquisition and telescope control software, basically by myself. It was kind of a monumental task. It was mostly in FORTRAN. Remember that?
In the 1980s, we tried to teach students BASIC, which I think was a watered down simplified version of FORTRAN. Even BASIC was Greek to me.
You had a very interesting career!
Good evening all. A cool evening.
John. Yes, MisterBeasley had a very interesting career. I bet you had one too. There will be people in a much better position now for knowing you. (Some you will never know.)
The number of letters and cards, Dawn received from students are in the hundreds. All thanking her for the help she gave.
Good evening
A bit cheesy but kinda worked after unpacking the truck John always did like John's music
Thanks for looking through the road pictures of our trip
Honestly, I was ready to come home two days ago but it's HOTTER than Florida here too I've heard the Canadians are even getting a swipe of this heat wave
Hello Everyone,
Monday already!
Thank you to everyone who expressed their thoughts on the tragedy of Thor (Sounds like a good movie title) I know we all try to help out the little "folks" as much as possible and that, sometomes, we are helpless to rescue them all.
My "claim-to-fame" with observatories is the fact that the mirror for the Kitt Peak observatory was made at the GE Quartz plant which was then readied for shipping at the GE plant where I was employed:
NOV_2013_0001_crop_edited-1 by Edmund, on Flickr
NOV_2013_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Miss_Quartz by Edmund, on Flickr
As a young lad I remember visiting the Case Western Reserve University 36" Warner & Swasey telescope that was located near downtown Cleveland. Recently it was moved (it followed me out to the country) to a place near me called Observatory Park which is open to the public.
https://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/park/observatory-park/
Fun Stuff!
I hope everyone is doing well these days. Since Kevin's visit I've had a renewed vitality to get some things moving along on layout projects Thanks for the incentive, Kevin!
Oh, how I wish again —
C&O, Ludington, Michigan, 1982 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Evening again
I've always liked Judy Garland too Ed
If only I could leave Bloomington and get to where she was at that one day
Stay and never leave!
Kevin and TF!
Great pictures. They make me want to get in the car and go for a road trip.
She's younger, spunkier, much more beautiful and vaccinated. I'm just an old goat with the sun glaring in my eyes
Dave, ...Do yourself a favor and take her on that road trip
The surroundings are almost but not quite perfect where you're at now. The Best memories you will share together are where you both haven't been yet.
Good evening to all my fellow diners.
Our travels and adventures were extensive today. When we woke up, we jumped into the car and crossed the bridge into the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, a place I have never been before.
I drove North through the Hiawatha National Forest, and found Lake Superior. I have now seen all five Great Lakes.
I walked through a small access pathway, and this was my first view of the mighty lake. It was so peaceful. The only noise was the surf rippling against the sand and the birds chirping. There were no cars on the road and no one else on the beach. I sat there for about 30 minutes and just marvelled ay how perfect this spot was.
Today we visited four Michigan State Parks and saw lots of beautiful sights, including these waterfalls. In one park we rented a row boat and spent about an hour on a lake just drifting around.
It was wonderful.
I will never listen to another transplant-to-Florida complain about the bugs again! The bugs up here are insane! I saw butterflies twice as big as anything in Florida. Mosquitoes are everywhere. Biting flies the size of quarters attacked us several times. There are dragon flies that are bright orange and about 4 inches long, and then we saw this demonic thing.
Nope, Florida DOES NOT have the worst bugs in the country.
As we drove about, we stumbled into Oswald's Bear Ranch and took a quick look around.
I saw a couple of old train depots today. Both had signs on them that they were property of the CANADIAN NATIONAL railroad. I also saw a few train cars, but no trains.
This bridge was interesting. It has wooden trestle bents and steel support girders. I have seen this before. However, the way the steel bridge sections set on top of the trestle bents looked very unusual to me.
This is a rock formation on the Lake Superior Coastline called Miner's Castle. It does not look much like a castle to me, but I guess the name is a good one.
Look at how beautiful and clear the water in Lake Superior is. If I did not know better, I would assume this is a picture of a Caribbean lagoon. It is just so pretty.
I took many pictures of the Lake Superior shoreline. This was a magnificent day full of beauitful views everywhere I looked.
I also saw this unusual structure that was identified as a Town Hall according to the plaque in front of the building. It looks industrial to me. I never would have guessed it was a Town Hall.
The middle structure in this Merchant's Row just looks completely out of place.
For dinner, I stopped and tried something called a "Pasty". All the diners up here have signs saying they have them, and I had never heard of them. It was good, but nothing to stir up a commotion about.
That is all for today. I will be in Wisconsin tomorrow. We will see what that day will bring.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
Hello Railfans!
Top of the evening to yas! Mild summer weather finally here, so for those of us on the back porch - its a very nice night.
Today was the first day back to the working side of life. Man oh man, nothing like a year off and a new pair of steel toes to remind one just how out of shape one can be. I think id much rather be in the train shop making models.
Always wished i had a railroad job - dont we all? But building models for a living would be the next best thing. Oh well, someones gotta dig the ditchs, slop the pigs, and put the wash out to dry, aye?
Mr Beasley) Remember Fortran? Yep, right along with COBOL, Assembler, and a few others including Basic which i code in still, just about everyday. Such a nice lil language!
TF, Kevin, and traveling companions) Thanks for sharing your vacations with us. Ive been enjoying the postcards.
Like Dave, i too was wondering what in the she-elles-zabob is that in the water? Kinda scary. Looks like to me an off shore tanker tie off, that got a lil run over. Definately scary!
And that picture of the, well, what looks like a 'small ferry' or 'bigger yacht than i can afford' with a rooster tail behind it. Now forgive me as i chuckle profusely, but arent those usually reserved for speed boats? I mean, where is this cruiseliner off to, and is it late??? . Ive never in my life seen a boat like that one, shoot water like that, but im thinking.... grab the tail!
(Props for showing the CG #83! My FIL was a Coasty Commander.)
TF - your mirrors, were they folded in when you did that? That close? The pics of Keystone were awesome! The Badlands look aptly named though.
Sheldon) 1700+ albums... and i cant even think of who would make a phonograph in this day and age to play the only two albums i have that survived the 70's. Much less even seen one in 30 years or so.
Ed) Tis why i prolly wont have any more animals. Pets as in. They are just as big a loss as ANY family member (more so compared to some). I couldnt go thru that anymore. Its been more than 10 years since i put down my last one due to cancer/old age. Even though it was to bring final relief to suffering, end the misery as the quality of life was fading, I just cant stand the loss and it still troubles me deeply to this day. Sometimes so much i have to force myself NOT to think about it. My condolences to you, and the other family.
Batman) Thats a pool? Looks like one heck of a nice portable insulated beer cooler to me. What i cant figure is why did you take it out of the man cave?
If your into making $$, id fill that puppy with those colored plastic balls they have in the McDonalds playlands, and rent it out for B-Day parties. Just - no snakes please.
Or
Take a few tent poles, turn it upside down, rent it out as pavilion space.... for B-Day parties.
Shoot, you could park the Batmobile under that thing!
Would make a great drive-in oil change bay. Or any fluid for that matter.
Shame your not into RC planes. You could put a model battleship out there and bomb it.
Have a wonderful evening everyone - Go run some trains!
High-Ball!
Douglas
PM RailfanAnd that picture of the, well, what looks like a 'small ferry' or 'bigger yacht than i can afford' with a rooster tail behind it. Now forgive me as i chuckle profusely, but arent those usually reserved for speed boats?
That is one of the Mackinac Island ferries.
I assume the boat has a jet drive. With this type of propulsion, excess water in the jet nozzle is directed out of a vent hole and makes the "rooster tail" you see in the photo.
I suppose the excess water could be vented off beneath the surface, but what fun would that be?
The Key West Express ferry boat out of Fort Myers has four jet drives, each powered by a 2,500 HP 50 liter diesel. When all four "roster tails" on that boat open up, it is an impressive display.
That is quite the photo TF, a keeper for sure.
1966, went for a ride on the Black Hills RR. Dad took nine weeks off work and we went on a mega road trip. My sister and I talk about it often to this day.
The greater Vancouver area is a little different and if you look from Google Earth, it shows you can go from Urban to the wilderness in short order. Today we took a short drive north into the mountains for a hike with two of the dogs. On the road, into where we would start we saw a cougar and two bears. The dogs swam in the many small lakes we passed and we returned quite refreshed. We got a kick out of the signs that say cell service ends here. I wonder how many people have a panic attack at the thought of being cut off from the world and turn around right then and there. It works for us as the fewer people the better.
Dave, you should throw caution to the wind and hit the road. My buddy and I took some dandy road trips in my RX-7 and had great times.
Never followed a schedule and we had days we felt tired of traveling. On those days we just stayed at the hotel and lay by the pool all day. The same if one of us did not feel well, no biggie, we just stayed put for a day or two. I mentioned earlier that we took road trips where we rented a car and headed in one direction with the idea of when we had enough, we went to an airport, handed in the car, and got on a plane for home. I have traveled a lot all over the world and I hate structured travel. If I find a place I like, I'll stay as long as I want. Also, you never have to miss or cut short visits to cool places you find along the way just because you need to be somewhere by the end of the day. We often found the motels on the highway booked up and would find lots of vacancies if we just drove into the core of the adjoining city or town a few blocks. It would be much quieter to boot.
I can't tell you how many times I found myself on vacation on a Friday with no plans and was on a plane Saturday or Sunday going somewhere. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Europe for a couple of days with a bottle of wine is the best way to unwind I know of. Then you start seeing the sights and leave when your time is up. Schedules, PHOOEY!
Mr. Beasley had an interesting career for sure. There is a company just outside of Vancouver (MDI)that provided all the computers and programs for each shuttle mission as well as a lot of other equipment for the space program and I was very involved when any of this stuff was on the move. It felt good being involved but didn't require a lot of brainpower, just experience in moving sensitive stuff.
Ed, that video on Ringo was great. Right from when I was very young I recognized he played differently than other drummers. That young lady was quite something and has a bright future ahead of her.
Well, Winnipeg has been eliminated from the playoffs and so I don't care who wins now but will enjoy watching the skill and determination of these athletes. I have played organized baseball, softball, football, soccer, basketball, nothing comes close to hockey as far as what is demanded of you physically.
Nighty night. All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
"So ya' say when you opened the doors a MOTORCOACH came out, eh?"
"Well it WAS a fire engine when we put it in there! It's still the red colour you ordered, eh?"
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Flo.
If the clouds clear it will be a warm day.
Lovely pictures posted by TF and Kevin. Not keen on that crawley bug thing though.
Was the motorcoach made to fit into the boxcar or the boxcar fit the motorcoach?
A minor family challenge today, so I had better help.
Good morning diners! Chloe, scrambled eggs and bacon please.
Ran a couple trains last night resetting the staging yards. I haven't gone down to just run a couple trains in a while. Seems like I always end up fiddling with something else. It was nice.
TF, glad you made it home safely.
Kevin, good to see you had a pasty, but it's completely the wrong time of year for them. Yours also looks a bit overdone. I hope they gave you gravy to put on it, or at least some ketchup. They are great in the winter, but can also be heavily dependent on the recipe. Comfort food you know. Did you go to Munising, and go on one of the Pictured Rocks boat tours? Looks like at least one of your pics is from the water. From what I recall, Miner's Castle looks more like a castle from the water. Same with "Indian Head" and "Battleship Row". Of course, you have to look with a little creativity in your eye, but that shouldn't be hard. You are a model railroader after all. June is also the worst month for bugs in the U.P. The black flies tend to stop biting in July. I agree though, they are pretty gnarly!
Cornish miners who migrated to work in Michigan’s Upper Peninsular in the 1800s, did introduce the Cornish Pastie to the local cuisine
Have a great day gents!
SeeYou190I will never listen to another transplant-to-Florida complain about the bugs again! The bugs up here are insane! I saw butterflies twice as big as anything in Florida. Mosquitoes are everywhere. Biting flies the size of quarters attacked us several times. Nope, Florida DOES NOT have the worst bugs in the country.
The bugs in MI are indeed bad. Those biting flies are the worst. Always needed lots of bug spray.