It is Summertime in Florida, so this calls for a cold bottle of crisp and refreshing Landshark Lager to get us through this heat.
Hi everyone.
A couple of weeks ago I posted that the artist that did the illustrations for the tins used by The Little Engine Company had some art prints up for sale. I bought one, titled "The General" of a Russian (Soviet) steam locomotive. It arrived last week, and I picked it up from the frame shop today.
I chose The General because it bridged two hobby interests. Trains, and wargaming, where I almost always play the Soviets in World War Two events.
I would have liked to get all five, but wall space for such silliness is limited. I still might go back and buy "The Hornet".
For an economy frame job, costing less than $100.00, it turned out pretty good. I had to custom order the green matting. I did not want the red and green mat boards to look very much like Christmas colors.
I was a bit disappointed in the print. I opted for a premium textured surface paper, and this caused some squared edges to the colors that kind of look like 8-bit gaming graphics under close inspection. I will know better next time. I should have chosen the regular slick print paper normally used.
In the end, it does look good on the wall.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good morning Diners. A bit early for the lager, Kevin, but I'll join in later thanks.
A large coffee please, Flo.
MLC & Mike Our prayers go out to you and your families at these challenging times.
Kevin. A neat Russian looking picture.
Crewe - A Railway Town
'The Grand Junction' The Story of Crewe.
Film broadcast in 1987.
The Story of a Railway Town Crewe celebrated its 150th birthday on 4 July this year (1987). Not many towns can be so precise, but Crewe can because that was the date in 1837 when the first train of the new Grand Junction Railway ran to Crewe station at the dawn of the railway age. The town followed, growing up around the railway works, and ruled for many years from Euston.
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
Good morning all. I appreciate the thoughts and prayers guys. We'll take them.
Janie, everyone's breakfast tab is on me today.
David, I've always liked the look of British steam locomotives. They have a minimalist beauty to them. An elegant look.
Kevin, never had Landshark but always wanted to try one. Thanks. The picture does look good. The artist did a great job capturing the feel of Soviet propaganda from that era.
Garry, sounds like fun visiting a few train stores. Given where I live, I rarely get to do that, so it certainly would be a treat.
Henry, that's frustrating when you don't know why someone won't talk to you. Especially considering it could all be a misunderstanding that might be cleared up with a little conversation.
Ray, thank you. By the way, I've always wondered what the numbers mean at the end of your messages. Usually a 73, but sometimes others (19, etc). Must be a reason?
Not much news from this end. Have a good day guys!
Mike
Mornin'!
Water Level RouteI've always wondered what the numbers mean at the end of your messages. Usually a 73, but sometimes others (19, etc). Must be a reason?
The numbers are Phillips Code used by Telegraphers on the railraods way back when. Phillips Code is a shorthand for commonly used phrases and RR Orders. 73 is: Best (Highest) regards. You can find them here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/88-or-how-telegraphers-coded-love-and-kisses/282850/
88 is "Love and Kisses". I put that at the end of Birthday cards to the Lady I was dating.... Don't think she ever figured it out..... LOL 19 is a "form 19 Train Order", etc. I figure true Train Guys should know these things ;). 28
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Good morning, diners. I've had a late start this morning.
SeeYou190I am so glad I landed in here. The discussions about trains, sharing my photographs, and the help I have received have kept me going. I appreciate all the kind folks and new friends I have encountered in here.
Kevin, I agree completely! This forum has become my favorite place to visit each day. Thanks for the beer from Margaritaville. Fins Up!
Garry, that a neat picture of the Cincinnati Union Terminal. We've driven by Cincinnati several times, but never stopped.
MLC, I hope whatever problems you are facing work out OK.
Brent, that is a nice video of your roundhouse. I really like night scenes on layouts.
Ed, that's a neat picture of Caribou.
David, thanks for the views of UK railroads and stations you provide each day. Very interesting.
Mike, it sounds like your daughter will be doing better, but it will take a while. Praying for your family.
Henry, tell your cousin's son that we appreciate his service in the airlift.
For everyone else I haven't mentioned, I am hoping everything is going well with you.
I live in a very rural area. The small towns here are just like most places -- they are slowly disappearing. Farmers used to use the small town elevators for their grain, but now most farmers can truck their grain to larger elevators. The result is that most of the small towns are barely holding on, losing population.
A small town near me, McCool Junction, got the name because the Kansas City and Omaha RR had a junction of two routes there. The rails are long gone, but the town wanted to preserve the station. It sits there, but not much has been done:
York1 John
Howdy ....
Mike .... I rarely go to train stores. The closest is over 50 miles away in Paducah.
John York 1 ..... McCool Junction is an interesting name. Glad you liked seeing the pictures of CUT in Cincinnati. I forgot to mention the mueseum includes a nice model railroad layout to show Cincinnati about 1950.
....
Stations. Let's show the station that existed in Minneapolis before it was torn down in the 1970's.
I'm doing it today because it is J J Hill. He lived from 1838 to 2016. Correction 1916. He was called "The Empire Builder" because of the railroad empire he put together called "The Hill Lines" (GN, NP, and CB&Q). GN's famous passenger train called The Empire Builder was named after him. Besides The Hill Lines, other railroads using this station were C&NW and CGW.
Here is the station in the 1950's.
Here is the Empire Builder at the station with the train in GN's newer Sky Blue color scheme. (Except the lead locomotive unit).
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Good Afternoon,
A dull, cool, rainy day here but supposed to hit 80 for the weekend. The leaves are turning and starting to fall. I used to hate this time of year when I had my sailboat as it was haulout time, always tense litfting a 3 ton boat in a sling and then swinging it around to drop on the trailer. Wind made the job a lot harder. It took 4 guys at least on ropes to control the swing. Amazing the force of wind on the side of a boat out of water.
Garry, I think you meant 1916 for Hill's date otherwise he lived 178 years.
I nearlybought another brass engine, a S2a which is a CN mike with a vandy tender and the only CN engine with a belpaire firebox. Saner heads prevaled and although the price was reasonable I couldn't justify spending that amount on an engine for display as it wouldn't go around my 22" radius.
The watchmaker called and my 45 year old watch is fixed with a new main spring. It should now outlast me. It has a windup mechanism which I like, no batteries to replace.
Well time to think about supper.
CN Charlie
CN Charlie.
thanks. My error. 1916 is correct.
Everything looks prim and proper in Austin:
Austin_mopac by Edmund, on Flickr
Meanwhile, in Albany:
PC_Albany by Edmund, on Flickr
Track Two is somewhere "up there" ?
I hope everyone is doing well.
Regards, Ed
Good evening everyone.
I made Grilled Reuben Sandwiches for dinner tonight, and they were PERFECT!
Water Level RouteThe picture does look good. The artist did a great job capturing the feel of Soviet propaganda from that era.
Thanks. I have a couple of other "Soviet" propaganda themed pieces, but they are from other board games, not the actual USSR. I would not be comfortable with a genuine piece of Soviet artwork in my house. I would prefer the Hammer & Sickle not be on this piece.
This past two weeks has found me wishing that I could still do my own repairs. We decided to replace our high end toilet despite the fact that it was less than 10 years old. It has been a constant source of problems and has needed repairs on a regular basis. Two weeks ago it broke again.
So, we went to Home Depot and bought a basic single flush toilet, nothing fancy. My back issues required that we have someone install it for us so we contacted Home Depot. They charged us $75.00 to send out an installer to do a remeasure (they said it would be $55.00). He showed up in a couple of days. The problem was that he was an appliance installer. I explained to him that we didn't wash our dishes in the toilet so it was decided that he couldn't help us. He promised to get his manager to sort the issue out.
It took Home Depot more than a week to set up another installer. When he called to set up an appointment I asked him if he installed toilets. No, he was an appliance installer! By that point I had contacted a local plumber so I decided to cancel the Home Depot arrangements. Then the fun really began! I wanted a refund for the $75.00 fee. It took me two hours to get the refund. I was hung up on twice by call center operators, and when I tried to do it online the system wouldn't accept my order number.
Today the plumber showed up and it took him two hours to swap the toilets! He ran into several problems which, incidently, had been caused by Home Depot installers when they replaced our bathroom several years ago. Initially I was glad that I had decided to hire a proper plumber because he had the knowledge and parts to do a proper installation. I had stopped worrying about his price.
So far so good eh?!? Well, not quite. The toilet rocks back and forth and bounces off the wall if you adjust your position even slightly. I sent them a note so hopefully they will be back to fix the problem before the wax seal breaks and the bathroom floods.
Oh the joys of home ownership!!!
Cheers from a still smiling Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, that sounds like a terrible ordeal.
I have had Home Depot do two installations in my house. They put the carpet in my youngest daughter's bedroom 10 years ago, and installed my kitchen cabinets four years ago.
Both times, the installation has been flawless. My problems were with the people they sent out to measure. Both times the mearurements were off by 12 inches on one wall. They said the bedroom was 10 by 13 when I knew it was 11 by 13. They said the kitchen was 10 by 10 when it was actually 10 by 11.
Then there was the guy that made the templates for my countertops incorrectly.
The guy that installed the carpet in the bedroom, by himself, did an A+ job. I could not have been happier with his work. The crew that installed my cabinets did a laser-perfect job that has had zero concerns in four years.
My countertop still does not fit in straight by the refrigerator.
I cannot even begin to describe how angry I was about the $125.00 measure job in the kitchen that was off by 12 inches that they never refunded.
SeeYou190I have had Home Depot do two installations in my house. They put the carpet in my youngest daughter's bedroom 10 years ago, and installed my kitchen cabinets four years ago. Both times, the installation has been flawless.
Hi Kevin,
We had Home Depot do our kitchen too and the whole process was flawless. I was amazed at the way the two installers kept the worksite so clean and organized, and their carpentry skills were incredible. Most of the seams can't be seen.
They did our bathroom too. There were a few problems but they did their best to correct them. One thing they didn't have a clue about was how to install a countertop. Instead of contouring the edge of the countertop to match the drywall, they cut into the drywall. That joint constantly moves and it is an eyesore despite several attempts at repairs. The site manager on that job was an idiot but the workers were great.
Right now I'm helping my son and DIL design a new kitchen, and we are considering replacing our own pantry. Cabinet prices are nuts!!! We need a new pantry cabinet 30" wide x 84" tall x 24" deep with full height roll-out shelves (it's actually two cabinets side by side). To get the features we want it will be more than $7000.00 before tax, and that is the uninstalled price!!! On top of that we have to have the old pantry stud walls removed and the drywall refinished. Nuts!!
Cheers!!
Dave
hon30critterCabinet prices are nuts!
Amen to that!
I bought two 30" drawer bases to use as a dresser in my new closet, and they were over $500.00 each! That is just a solid wood standard catalogued cabinet, nothing custom.
Crazy.
hon30critter Well, not quite. The toilet rocks back and forth and bounces off the wall if you adjust your position even slightly
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
The upgrade to go from particle board to plywood in my pantry cabinets was $1300.00 Cdn! I think it will take four 4' x 8' x 5/8" sheets of plywood max. The wholesale price might be $40.00 per sheet. The rest of the process is identical.
“Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.”- Tecumseh
So...
On Friday, September 10th, I placed an order with Model Train Stuff for a few items I know I willl need. Then, on Monday I placed another order with Train World for some items MTS did not have in stock.
Today I received the order from Train World. Also today, I received an email from Model Train Stuff saying my order had been shipped.
I think I am through with Model Train Stuff.
I placed an order today with Westerfield for three kits and a whole bunch of kit components. They said it will be several weeks before the order is ready to ship.
I also placed an order with Funaro & Camerlengo today. This was for just three kits. They said everything was in stock and will be shipped on Monday.
My recent order from Walthers only took four days to arrive, but they deleted two items from the order that were in their sale section. This is the second time Walthers has done this to me. I am enticed to place an order because of a good sale price, then I do not get the sale items, but all the full price items show up. This is getting frustrating also.
This picture kind of fits in with the theme for the Diner this month. This little railroad "station" is on the scenic railroad in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It's been raining this morning. That's good news for the grass I planted.
Seward is a small town about 25 miles from me. This picture is of the town's old Burlington station. Years ago, it was sold and someone turned it into a house.
Have a good day, everyone.
Good morning, everybody .
John York 1 .... That is a neat house in Seward made from an old depot. I wonder if they have a train layout inside.
Ed .... Nice phtos of stations in Austin and in Albany.
Kevin .... The Reuben sandwiches last night looked good. It sounds like you are preparing to do some very interesting model train projects based on the stiff you said you ordered. .... The station in Ohio looks nice.
hon30critter Well, not quite. The toilet rocks back and forth and bounces off the wall if you adjust your position even slightly Loo by Bear, on Flickr
Loo by Bear, on Flickr
Bear: ........ Maybe I did not wish to be privy to that conversation. ..... Sorry, I could not refrain from saying that. .... I like the very nice station (Dunedin)you posted.
Everybody .... have a great day !
Greetings from Southern Command,
all is/was well with house in Mississippi with no ill effects from Ida. Looks like they had mostly rain with a little wind here and there. I saw some gas stations that had roof trim damage, but at the house there had been not even a new tree branch in the yard.
Thank you all for the kind words, things are still ugh, but I will make it through.
I am going to do some work around the house here today while the wife goes into town to see freinds and such.
I may just lay around the house and stink, haha.
Kevin thosse reubens look delicious. my mouth is watering.
I just ate a mess of dirty rice and i am still hungry.
Garry, next time ya come just shout. I can usually get away from work at lunch (unless it is my on call week).
well I guess i will go start stinking!
Heartland Division CB&QKevin .... The Reuben sandwiches last night looked good.
moelarrycurly4Kevin those reubens look delicious. my mouth is watering.
They were wonderful. I wish I could have shared the experience with all of you.
Heartland Division CB&QKevin. It sounds like you are preparing to do some very interesting model train projects based on the stiff you said you ordered.
I have been working on an exhaustive list of all the projects I want to include in my layout. I want to get all the parts on hand, as much as possible, now. This is because with the smaller railroad companies going out of business, then with what their products demand on the secondary market, it is just making sense to me to buy now.
Sunshine resin freight car kits are going for ridiculous prices right now. Fine Scale Miniatures kits are coming down, but the two that I want are rarely up for sale.
I now have accumulated all the Westerfield, Funaro & Camerlengo, and Yarmouth kits that I want to be included in my freight car fleet. I have a thing for modified "automobile and furniture" boxcars from the transition era. These companies make models of some of the truly unique examples, and I wanted these. Westerfield just released a model of a unique Santa Fe automobile boxcar rebuilt from a stock car, and I had to have it.
I have become a strong believer in lifetime supplies this time before I get started.
It is possible I might have missed out on the Rapido Railcrew uncouplers I wanted to use. They are already sold out at Rapido, and are going for over $20.00 each on the secondary market. That is an excellent product I really wanted to use.
The people at Rapido said they will bring them back again, but kind of also suggested "don't hold your breath."
I went outside and played with my new camera lens again. We still have not had a clear blue sky since I bought it.
The detail this lens can capture is very impressive to me.
There was a mockingbird singing in one of my Crape Mytles, and I was able to get a pretty good picture from about 25 feet away. I think the "Ultrasonic" image stabilization system is a big help.
I think my next lens will be a 100mm/400mm Canon EF telephoto with US/IS. There are some used ones available right now for a fair price. I cannot justify the expense for a new one.
Good morning Diners. A large coffee please, Chloe.
After a very busy day yesterday hopefully a rest day today.
There are a number of Diners missing. I hope they are well and return soon.
Railway Historians are looking at records etc. of Hetton Colliery, County Durham. Did they use steam engines before anyone else? Thereby pre-dating 'Rocket'
This locomotive is at 'Locomotion' in Shildon, County Durham. It is from Hetton Colliery. Is this the first ever steam driven locomotive? We shall watch and see.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
Good morning, diners. Coffee, please.
It's funny how a person's mind can adjust so quickly to a situation. It's Saturday, but once I retired, Saturday became just another day. After 65 years of enjoying 'the weekend', the weekend feeling has disappeared.
When working, I didn't have Saturdays off, there were meetings, events, and athletic games I was expected to attend, but I still looked forward to Saturday for the change of routine. Now Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, --- they're all the same. Sunday is the only day that is still somewhat in the old routine.
I believe that Wednesday is the Equinox. This weekend, the temps are still in the 90s, so it doesn't feel like Fall is coming, but the TV said that a change is coming Monday. I will look forward to it. This time of year, I always look forward to two things -- the first fire in the fireplace, and the grass going dormant so it doesn't need cutting.
Today's train station doesn't look special, but for our part of the country, it is. I can't think of too many other stations that were built here with this type of style and brick. It's along the UP mainline at Cozad, NE.
In the left foreground is the concrete marker for the Lincoln Highway on which the station is located. It was the first true coast-to-coast highway for cars in the U.S., going from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Sections of the original highway are still preserved; one of those sections is in Grand Island, NE., just east of the Union Pacific yard. History lesson ended.
This caboose is also at the Cozad station:
The Transcontinental Railroad passed the 100th Meridian at Cozad:
Good morning .....
David .... Your post is very intersting with a picture of an ancient locomotive. The very first operating steam locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick. It was called the Penydarren and made its first trip in 1804.
This is a replica of Penydarren at the British Railway Museum in York.
I saw the replica being worked on at the York museum in 2003 as it was being prepared to run in 2004 to celebrate the 200th anniverary of the first steam locomotive.
...
John York 1 .... Thanks for pictures of the UP depot in Cozad, Nebraska and for telling about some of the history.
coming a gulley washer here at the Sothern command, looks like it is socked in for the day, flash flood warnings to my North.
went and heard some blues music last night.
time for some snacks.
Heartland Division CB&Q Good morning ..... David .... Your post is very intersting with a picture of an ancient locomotive. The very first operating steam locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick. It was called the Penydarren and made its first trip in 1804. This is a replica of Penydarren at the British Railway Museum in York. I saw the replica being worked on at the York museum in 2003 as it was being prepared to run in 2004 to celebrate the 200th anniverary of the first steam locomotive.
Yes, Garry. Richard Trevithick invented 'Penydarren' in 1804.
Although it could carry people it was not a fare paying train.
That honor went to the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Now it is believed Hetton Colliery Railway could have been a fare paying passenger operator prior to the S&D.
Whatever, they were all pioneers and should be remembered each and every one.
The station at Niles, Michigan has seen better days:
AMTK/PC, Niles, Michigan, 1973 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
If you made a model and decaled the left numberboard 4070 like the exact one shown, wouldn't it drive you nuts?
The Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha, coming and going:
MILW, Chicago, Illinois, 1950s by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
— and lots of neon in Denver:
Travel by train—on a wish by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Janie.
The pictures are great by everyone. Thanks for sharing.
Whitby to Scarborough Railway. Part 1
The Scarborough & Whitby Railway was closed in 1965, as part of the infamous ‘Beeching Cuts’. Although many people would like to see the railway line reopen, it’s unlikely to ever happen. A walk along the old route over 50 years after the last train ran. Now called the Cinder Track, it provides a walkway & cycle route of 21 miles for the public between Scarborough & Whitby. During this video, Take a look at what’s left of the route between Whitby and Hawsker, including the old station houses and impressive Larpool Viaduct.
Good morning, diners. It's donut Sunday, the one day of the week that I don't have bacon and eggs.
The church donuts are not really very good, but I eat them anyway. Our town is too small to have an actual bakery.
It's going to be hot today -- in the 90s -- but I have some outdoor work to finish. It's supposed to rain tonight, so I want to get it done before that.
Before my daughters were married, we took a long trip through northern Canada and Alaska. At Fairbanks, we took the train to Denali National Park.
I believe the Fairbanks train station is the farthest north station in the U.S.:
This is not a picture I took, and I honestly don't remember what the station looked like.
Have a good Sunday, everyone.