Good Afternoon,
Chloe, please give Dirk 2 treats and a beer for Ken. Hope they stop by soon.
Another hot, dry day here.
The combine I bought on ebay arrived and it is really nice. The original owner did a great job decorating it. I just need some longer shank couplers. I have a set of EZ mates that will likely do as the car will only be used on short mixed trains so strength won't be an issue.
Time for a cool drink. Still missing Robbie. I get choked up thinking about him.
The Northern is in the service yard and the 5 axle C liner has taken over.
CN Charlie
Heartland Division CB&QKevin .... No tides here.
That is what I figured. I knew it was a dumb question.
Thank you for answering just the same.
DoughlessKevin, as a potential SW Florida retiree in a few years, I've noticed that you have taken care or have concern over your plantings not dying.
There are multiple problems.
During the Summer it rains a lot, almost every day. This makes everything lush, but the weeds will take over quickly because they grow faster than landscape ornamentals.
During the Winter we have a six month long drought. There is very little rain, and if you do not irrigate, everything will die. It does not get cold enough to make plants and lawns dormant, they just dry out and die.
Lawn feritlizer of most types are banned, and all lawn fertilizing is not allowed in the rainy season. This is because fertilizer run-off can cause toxic algae blooms in the fresh water canals and rivers.
If we do not get Summer rains, all lawn watering will be banned.
Invasive trees will take over like crazy. Australian Pines, Melaleucas, Brazilian Peppers, Mimosas, and Carrotwoods are the worst. My neighbors do not tend to theirs, and I need to fight to keep them out of my yard. I have two Southern Pines in my yard, about 15 years old, and they are only about 25 feet tall.
So yes, keeping nice lush landscaping is a constant chore.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Afternoon all from a sunny West Coast.
The wife left early for the dog show this morning but she will come home and we will go to dinner at our friends house where I bet there will be lots of people from the show. I hear they are just ordering in a massive amount of Chinese food as everyone is too tired to cook.
I had a nice restful day doing nothing today after dealing with lawyers in Pennsylvania and here all day yesterday. The vultures are still circling over this Estate I am looking after. They are losing the battle big time.
Went to play my guitar and discovered I had a nasty cut on my finger, so that was short lived.
One thing we have plenty of here is good clean water. Canada has 2% of the worlds population and 23% of the fresh water. It is plentiful and cheap. That being said I am not big on watering, the lawn can go brown for all I care.
BC Rail is no more, and BNSF runs up to Roberts Bank with coal from the Powder River basin and container trains.
This one I took.
Had a mini workout so I can pig out on the Chinese food tonight, time to hit the shower.
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."
Good evening all.
Chloe - A coke float please. Thanks.
Brent - Your daughter is young enough she may have a bit of a reaction several hours after her second dose. If so, it does go away quickly. (I had one, but I survived a COVID infection early on in 2020, so was warned to expect a reaction after my second dose. It commonly occurs in those 40-ish and under, and more of one if they had COVID at some point.) So long as she doesn't have breathing issues, she might feel like crap if she has said reaction, but will be fine after a while. (My case, reaction ~12 hours after second dose, lasted ~18 hours.) I was told in this age group, it is quite common, and that it is harmless, unless breathing gets difficult.
Nice pics and vids everybody. Neat learning the history of many areas, as well as current rail related items.
The other "railfan" attraction in my area is the Oil Creek & Titusville, a tourist line through "oil country" south of me, running on former PRR (and a very short NYC segment) rails from Titusville south through Drake Well Park and on to Rynd Farm outside of Oil City. (The NYC line segment is freight ops only at this time.)
Their "standard" power -
OC&T 75 by Richard W, on Flickr
They also roster another small switcher, and a MLW M420 used on occasion for tourist trains but mainly used for freight ops.
The Titusville station has an attatched Caboose Motel, where you can stay overnight in a repurposed caboose. (I have zero pics of that, as there has always been guests, and I did not wish to make any of them uneasy.)
They normally host a yearly model "swap meet" style show, and have a gift shop inside the Titusville station as well.
A while back, they hosted a steam train weekend, with two small tank engines, and I had a ticket for one of the trips. The big trip went from Titusville to Rynd, and back. They had the local VFD meet them at Rynd to refill the tanks.
The trip I was on, the first "big" trip they were doing, did not go according to plan....
Steam Foam 1 by Richard W, on Flickr
They had accidentally used the Fire Foam side instead of the regular water side....
I guess that's one way to do a boiler clean out.... The owner of the steamer was NOT impressed with it however. (I had been video recording, and noticed a big change in noise from the steamer, then everyone noticed the foam. I quickly had to cut the video to keep it family friendly, as, unknown to me at the time, the owner was standing right next to me, and began expressing his great displeasure.)
The trip back was severely delayed, as they had to empty and flush the foam, then again fill the water level, but the fire truck ran dry during that. So, a slow treck partway back, before meeting again to fill the second steamer, and top off the (freshly cleaned) steamer.
Then, due to the slower pace, a bearing on the one steamer had lube run dry, so that meant another stop, and a rescue from the diesel pictured above.
I had planned on chasing the next trip, along the shorter NYC segment, but that changed very quickly, as it would be delayed by another hour (after the first trip was already 1.5 hours late returning!) and I had had quite enough heat and humidity that day by then! (No AC in any of the passenger cars, due to no power available for them, and slow return meant near zero air movement. the open air car was coolest, but not by much, and became very crowded. And, as it was a much slower pace, the open air car patrons got covered in soot and ash from the coal burning steamers.)
So the chase pics never happened.
Area Update: Just have been informed, the LakeShore Railway Museum VirtualRailFan Camera, in North East Pa, is no more.... VRF staff are very unhappy over it, as are many of the subscribers. (Myself included.) No word on what exactly happened, but last time I had spoke with the LSRM curator, he was very happy to have the VRF cam, as it meant more eyes on parts of the museum grounds, and lots of advertising for them, so something major must have come up to change things.
I see there was a huge weather related derailment in Utah, hopefully the crew fully recovers.
Hope all are well, that no one has had issues with the latest weather problems, and wish all a good night!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Howdy
Correcting my post about the cruise ship . Fuel was pumped out of the ship and into the fuel barge to lighten the weight of the ship. I was wrong when I thought fuel was added to the ship.
Also, I was told it looks like they started the water jetting process today which should help free the ship.
Edit: I just learned the ship is freed and is now parked nearby in deep water.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
John thanks for the cruise ship info
Kevin We had areas around the Chesapeake Bay that were called lakes, but they were really just bays or coves in rivers that are connected to the Chesapeake bay. Ultimately you need a connection to the ocean to have tides.
Bear I saw an article in the NY Post that the asking price for a ramshackle house in NZ was 2 million dollars. Is that crazy or are home prices exploding like what happened in Vancouver?
David Interesting pics but the ones I clicked on were real small. We have a trashed L&N F3 or F7 nearby. It doesn't look like the L&N had trackage in this part of Va.
Which reminds me. I think when I took my son's to Cass, we found some abandoned trackage and there were nails in the sides of the ties with dates from the 1950's. They were maybe 2" long and the head was 8mm in diameter. What time periond were they used?
We had dinner at a restaurant with a patio last night. Even before Covid, we loved eating outdoor, but we were the only ones on the patio. well it was a bit hot.
We heard shouting that we thought was coming from the bar. Sounded like maybe it was an athletic chant for JMU. We then realized it was coming down the street 1/2 a block from where we were sitting and it was a political chant from a group that has been known to attack diners.
They couldn't see us and we couldn't see them so all was good. Food and service was good too. Service at some of the local restaurants is terrible and they serve cold food for lack of wait staff.
Edited about 6-7 times for miserable spelling.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I just made it back home from an evening of wargaming at my friend Rob's house. What a great way to spend a Friday evening.
We played a battle near the Great Lakes from the War Of 1812. I was on the British side, and we lost horribly.
Still, it is great to be hanging out with friends again on a Friday night. I cannot believe I went over a year without this.
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
SeeYou190We played a battle near the Great Lakes from the War Of 1812. I was on the British side, and we lost horribly.
Hi Kevin,
I'm glad that you had a good time fighting the war of 1812, but as a proud Canadian I have to point out that in reality, the British won quite handily. I hope I have my facts straight, but in fact, we managed to set fire to what is now called the 'White House'. The reason that it is white is that your countrymen wanted to repair the damage and the appearance as quickly as possible but all they had was white paint. It has been white ever since. We Canadians are proud to have helped you with your decorating scheme!
Cheers good neighbour!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter We Canadians are proud to have helped you with your decorating scheme!
Sure glad it didn't wind up as the "Barn Red House" Lavender? The Puce House?
4070 Leaving Chicago by Edmund, on Flickr
BigDaddyWe then realized it was coming down the street 1/2 a block from where we were sitting and it was a political chant from a group that has been known to attack diners.
Those vegetarians can be a pretty tough bunch. At least you weren't having lunch at the Capitol.
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanSure glad it didn't wind up as the "Barn Red House" Lavender? The Puce House?
Well it's probably lucky that the railroads weren't active back then or it could have been box car red!
Cheers!!
Hello Railfans!
Top of the evening to yas! Hope you all is nestled safely in your havens for the eve. I myself am whooped right down to my socks! I feel like a 10 mile stretch of bad road. Alas, the best part of the day is uponst me and Im ready to talk TRAINS!
I see a few above have posted some very interesting 'home' shots and info. And Id have to admit, if 'my' steamer was full of foam.... id cover the kids ears too (for a 10 mile radius). Boxcar storage sheds? Hmmm, not a bad 'off the grid' idea!
Ive come prepared tonyt, even have my 'finger paints' ready. So if yall is comfy in your favorite barko-lounger, snifter of the finest in hand, best friend snoozing at your feet - please read on. Let me share with you some of my experiences from days past.......
Lets start off with that optical illusion i mentioned in our last pow wow. You saw the illusion last night, heres the view that shows whats up the magicians sleeve...
Dont ask me why that pole looks like its leaning on ole #125 in yesterdays picture, i attribute that to my uncanny ability to repeatedly take rotten pics. I guess I have a knack for it.
I mentioned last nyt i was pondering the thought of expanding my months theme to include my 'home' away from home? For a lack of better words. While some in the aminal community roared, Ed and Kevin didnt seem to mind.
This day were are in Southern country. Southern Railway that is, or was. And whilest Railfanning the RF&P yielded very fast freights, fast passenger, few drags and not much in the way of infrastructure to explore... Railfanning the Southern filled the gap of missing local freights, switching, and trackage with gradients not seen on the RF&P.
We find ourselves in Canton NC.. 15 miles due west of Asheville NC (as the Southern geep rolls). This is a branchline from the west end of Asheville Yard through Candler NC (major stone quarry) up into this valley where the only interest in this town is an over 100 year old paper mill still working.
Requiring all sorts of material from wood chips to chemicals to outgoing product. The mill is a major employer here though the line continues west thru Clyde NC, then unto Waynesville NC. Even further west to Silva and Murphy. Thus its name - the "Murphy Branch". We'll forgo the long history for brevity.
Hardly any industry past Canton (in modern times) makes me wonder what pays for the line now. It is a connection to the "Great Smokey Mountains Railway". A tourist line for us Railfan types. More on this extranious stuff maybe later, lets get to painting!
Southern - Je me souvien!
A logo one could hardly forget. A class 1 Railroad that quite frankly.... Served the South. How they served me was to allow me to wander their tracks and facilities almost at ease. This was a time when Railroad folk were still able to befriend a young man after their jobs.
Now I know the clarity of some of the following pictures will not allow you the details. I spent my allowance on Trains, not cameras in those days. That man you see piloting SR 5015-J is 'Mr. Yarborough' (RIP). A fine engineer who used to work the 'Canton Trick' - meaning the Canton local switcher. His sidekick, Brakeman first class Mr. 'Rawhide' Robert Johnson would allow me every opportunity in their yard as if i was a working crewmember. Admittedly, I spent most of my time in the firemans seat in the cab learning all I could on how to pilot a locomotive.
Heres a shot of where the 'yard switcher' was kept when not in use. Im standing on the Depot apron looking northward. This is the throat to the mill yard in Canton. Notice its only one GP, and only 2000hp at that. Thats all we used. More on this in a moment.
First, you may be wondering why a road unit for a switcher. Southern didnt keep anything stationed at Canton, thus needing no facility there for refueling, sanding, etc.. That stuff was close enough in Asheville. Everyday a local was run betwixt the two towns. All Southern did was swap out a unit each time that had enough fuel to run a day of switching before returning on another local back to Asheville. The mill has its own 1000+hp switcher and private tracks (maybe more on that later too).
Mr. Yarborough's desk....
Not much Railfanning was done in Asheville as thats where "The Man" was stationed. 'The Man' was the reference Mr Yarborough used to refer to the local SuperIntendant. I gathered he WAS NOT a Railfan, and thusly wouldnt approve of me being around.
Though, when the planets aligned, good things did happen there! A chance visit to the facilities one day was like Charlie (the choco factory kid) finding the golden ticket.
The Yardmaster that day must have hit the lotto because not only did i get a tour of the tower, i was given my very first opportunity to place my hand on a throttle and 'take them out'. (I never made it to the roundhouse, for obvious reasons)
Gentlemen, I give you a shot of the very first locos I ever piloted solo. A trio of Southern SD40s. And I thought my Buick had get up and go! I got to notch 8 - WOW!!!!! They actually put me back in my seat just a bit like a car would, I could feel the pull of those bad boys. Brakes worked pretty good too - smooth as silk they were! I mean smoooooooth!
I knew right then why the SD40s were 'cadillacs'. Especially compared to the smaller geeps id been on.
Lets move the time frame up a few notchs to Norfolk Southern Days. Not really being a fan of what once was Southerns main competitor, i still needed a Train fix now and then, and didnt completely shy away from the NS action.
Same tracks - slightly different colors:
Remember when I said we used to use only one GP to switch Cantons yard? This is what they use now. I just dont get it. Apparently it was easier to just let the local stay M/Ued and use them that way. Usually no less than 12000hp for switching moves - yeah im scratching my head too.
Along with the arrival of NS brought the passing of Mr Yarborough, Rawhide got transferred to Asheville, and NS... as we all found out..... absolutely HATES Railfans. You can figure what that meant.
Another look at the Canton 'local/switcher'....
Happier days (for Railfanning) only took a couple decades to arrive heralded by these folks showing up in town.... (ofcourse im an old cogger now)
I was so relieved to find out WAMX was buying the branch from NS (along with others in the area including the famed "SALUDA" grade). These are freshly painted and rebuilt, newly delivered. However, look close my friends. You folks from the left coast may reconize a few!
Yep, thats right - ex-SP, ex-UP, units reengined to spec out as an SD40-2 @ 3000hp shes an excuse for "prototype for everything". A left coast top hauler way out here in the sticks. Couldnt believe my eyes when i saw her. Though now, she looks alot like her sisters in this scheme...
You will find them flying this flag.....
Well my friends, there you have it. Todays foray into the past of just another Railfan. Youve pretty much seen the highlights, so if the bottle isnt empty, join me again later this month and Ill share somemore ventures into the worlds GREATEST HOBBY. All the best!
Clear Ahead!
Douglas
Good morning
Lots of interesting railroad pictures here, ...Thanks for posting pics.
I've been working on my Mustang the last couple days degreasing and getting new black paint on the engine walls so it looks nice under the hood. It sure would have been easier to do before I dropped the rebuilt engine back in. I found a nice roll-in to go to this weekend.
Here's a couple of big dog sisters. Dakota Missouri Valley & Western Railroad over in Lions neck of the woods.
Looks like they bought one from the Canadians eh!
Have a great Saturday gentleman
TF
Good morning ....
Brent ... Thanks for posting the photos and videos.
Ricky .... Those are interesting pictures. I have not heard of the Oil Creek and Titusville RR.
Kevin .... I'm wondering what is in your photo. Apparently, it is an old portable boiler.
Douglas ..... Wow! your post with photos and commentary is very interesting.
TF .... I'm not familiar with that short line. You said it is near Lion. Those former CN locomotives are big. Most short lines have small locomotives.
....
Here is a photo of the combined Empire Builder and North Coast Limited on the CB&Q triple track main line.
Good afternoon Diners. 5.00pm and 27 degrees C.
Great pictures by all.
A film of Flying Scotsman in the U.S.A.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Afternoon from the Pacific side where it is sunny and cozy with 308 fires currently burning in the Province.
Went for lab work at 0700hrs this morning as I was way overdue. The lab tech said you athletic types take longer to fill the tubes because of your low blood pressure, that was nice to hear. I was in and out in five minutes, slick ops.
Daughter is having a rough ride from the #2 covid vaccine, first one did not bother her.
Spent the day reading and signing legal docs, I think I will hop in the truck and mail them off to Pennsylvania, I hate desk work, I would rather dig a ditch any day of the week.
Came across this model maker's version of the Fitz, pretty amazing work.
Heartland Division CB&Q TF .... I'm not familiar with that short line. You said it is near Lion. Those former CN locomotives are big. Most short lines have small locomotives.
Evening again
I could say Post Hog but I'm not the poster hogger that I used to be. I may just have to give up that roll to someone more worthy than me here.
I had a ball today with my Judy. We got up and hit the pavement at 7 and washed the Stang and actually hit two car shows today. The first one was at 8 but it wasn't worth staying around very long because there was only four classic cars there including mine.
We went to Buffalo Minnesota next which was about an hour and a half away avoiding highways. That was a good car show because it's way out in the country and they give you a pulled pork sandwich and a beer.
Most of the ride out there had railroad tracks running along side the road and was either level, 20 feet up, or thirty feet down along the highway. I saw CP twice!
I do like an occasional car show, especially the spread out ones in the country where they feed you
The long rows of muscle machines look like colorful candy.
I've always been a big fan of the Mercury's. This black one looked like a gangster mobile, where someone would jump out with a Tommy don't you think?
And then there was this purple one that looked like Christine! I didn't notice the ghost flames till later looking at the picture because the sun was so bright today. I thought it was funny the guys white socks were in the reflection Check it out
And at every car show, there's always that one awesome Rat Rod! These guys are talented welders and build them one piece at a time. They look better the crapier they are kept putting them together
This guy pulled up 20 feet from my car and parked. When the Hydraulics hissed and he set the frame on the ground. I gave him a thumbs up and told him, Nice landing
Good evening again, ...again
I must say I enjoyed the Fitz art as I did the snow sculpture last winter Brent! I do say that subtly with respect as I know you do posting as well of course
Being that I am Scottish, I've always been a big fan of the Flying Scotsman David A true tuned machine that stood the test of time
Have a great evening gentlemen
Cool cars TF!
Time for some Captain and Pepsi, I'll celebrate the wifes win at the dog show, except I don't know if she won or didn't. If she didn't win I'll switch it to drowning our sorrows.
hon30critterI'm glad that you had a good time fighting the war of 1812, but as a proud Canadian I have to point out that in reality, the British won quite handily.
Nearly all the history books I read are published in England. The first time I read an English history of the war of 1812, and they said they won, I was like WHAT?!?
The war of 1812 ended with a diplomatic negotiation to end hostilities, and both sides claimed to be victorious.
However, if you look at just the military actions, yes, the United States was in a difficult situation after British victories at many key strategic locations.
If England had not been motivated to end the hostilities, we might have a very different history.
Heartland Division CB&QKevin .... I'm wondering what is in your photo. Apparently, it is an old portable boiler.
Garry, I really don't know what it is. It is part of a collection that is supposed to become a Cotton Museum in Monroe, Georgia.
David: I watched a British television show today, and the copyright date was expressed as MXMXCII, which I think was supposed to be 1992. However, here in the states, 1992 would be MCMXCII. Is using MXM for 1900 an alternate used in Britain?
It just looked weird to me. Probably a detail few other people would notice, but now I am curious.
I finished all the framing for wife's closet today. The closet will be seven feet by eight feet. We had mocked-up several different sizes, and that is what we landed on.
My closet and the master bathrom are done. I will start drywalling her closet tomorrow, and then onto the master bedroom itself.
SeeYou190Garry, I really don't know what it is. It is part of a collection that is supposed to become a Cotton Museum in Monroe, Georgia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_engine
Many farmers had steam traction engines with big, flat-belt flywheels that could power, well just about anything you wanted to drive.
In industrial applications these things were basically a temporary "power plant" you could put in place if your line-shaft engine went down or if you needed to power a winch, sawmill, pump, rock drill or any kind of "portable" construction equuipment.
Oh nevermind! Let's just forget all that and post a good steamer for crying out loud
Now is that a beautiful piece of art or what?
Just looking for another one of my favorite videos here
I liked that one Ed, ...Back at ya kid
Good 'Ol Johnny
SeeYou190 hon30critter I'm glad that you had a good time fighting the war of 1812, but as a proud Canadian I have to point out that in reality, the British won quite handily. Nearly all the history books I read are published in England. The first time I read an English history of the war of 1812, and they said they won, I was like WHAT?!? The war of 1812 ended with a diplomatic negotiation to end hostilities, and both sides claimed to be victorious. However, if you look at just the military actions, yes, the United States was in a difficult situation after British victories at many key strategic locations. If England had not been motivated to end the hostilities, we might have a very different history.
hon30critter I'm glad that you had a good time fighting the war of 1812, but as a proud Canadian I have to point out that in reality, the British won quite handily.
All war had no winners only losses
Track fiddlerAll war had no winners only losses
Agreed. Canada wasn't a country until 1867 so I always take exception to those that say it was Canada versus the U.S. It was the British trying to retain power over the colonies (what is now Canada included). It is a good story, the fight for independence and was a just cause IMO. Those that study the details will likely agree the cause was just, but for somewhat varied reasons as to what Hollywood has taught them.
We are the tiniest of specks in the vast Universe, there is no them and us, only us. The billions that have been lost to conflict throughout our history will be looked upon with total stomach-churning disbelief by those that follow in the centuries ahead.
Perhaps we should put the topic of the War of 1812 to rest lest we offend the moderators.
BATMAN⁸ Track fiddler All war had no winners only losses Agreed. Canada wasn't a country until 1867 so I always take exception to those that say it was Canada versus the U.S. It was the British trying to retain power over the colonies (what is now Canada included). It is a good story, the fight for independence and was a just cause IMO. Those that study the details will likely agree the cause was just, but for somewhat varied reasons as to what Hollywood has taught them. We are the tiniest of specks in the vast Universe, there is no them and us, only us. The billions that have been lost to conflict throughout our history will be looked upon with total stomach-churning disbelief by those that follow in the centuries ahead.
Track fiddler All war had no winners only losses
Perfect
I can't add to that but would just like to repeat that we are all a little speck in the universe. War has never been Justified anywhere here and never will be.
I can appreciate the Canadian Royal Armed Forces has always been armed for defense.
That is it and always has been that way and never had to go any further. I have always been able to highly respect and admire that Brent!
I need to say no more
hon30critterPerhaps we should put the topic of the War of 1812 to rest lest we offend the moderators.
You may or may not have annoyed the moderators but I'm certainly annoyed.