Good morning, diners. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee. Again.
Ulrich and Dave, if you're reading this, thanks for that photo of the double turntable roundhouse! When I first saw the N scale version, I thought a modeler just made something that was interesting. I had no idea that double turntables like that existed. Still learning in my 70s.
Kevin, that's a neat picture of the bald eagle eating the opossum. When I was very young, one image stands out from my grandfather. I went with him with his .22 rifle to kill a family of opossums that were in the corn crib. I'm not sure why I remember that so vividly.
Henry, you mentioned the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I'm not familiar with Baltimore. Is it changed from when you were there?
OldEngineman, thanks for the photos of EBT's roundhouse from years ago. I'm glad it's been saved.
Mike, that's the kind of coffee mug I need. Not sure how I would keep it hot enough by the time I got down to the bottom.
David, that is a neat video of the man-powered turntable. As I've said before, I'm glad that the UK has preserved so much of the railroad history.
Jim, your mention of your granddaughter's concert was funny. I used to have to attend the school's music concerts. The 6th grade band would play, and it was impossible to tell what the song was. The 7th grade band was better, the 8th even better, and the full high school band was great. It was an amazing thing to see how much better they got each year.
To everyone not mentioned, I enjoy reading all your posts. The diner is an interesting place.
Here in flyover country, there's more housecleanig today. After one day with all the grandkids here, it will be difficult to tell that we cleaned anything.
I could see the first sprouts of new grass this morning. This is my first attempt at starting new grass in the spring. Normally, I plant grass in the fall. I didn't know that Daisy the Dachshund would kill the large sections of the lawn over the winter.
I hope everyone has a great day today.
McCook, Nebraska, roundhouse:
York1 John
hon30critterI wonder how many times a locomotive was driven into the adjoining pit?
I wondered how many times the bridges collided. It's 2/3's of a Ven Diagram
I don't know if that translates outside the US. but they are right up there with Yellow School Buses.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good Morning Diners. Flo, would you just bring the whole pot of coffee over please? Thanks.
One of the dogs woke us up really early this morning with, as best as I can guess, sort of a panic attack. Maybe he had a really bad dream that kicked it off? Either way, not enough sleep was had, but what do you do? He's not prone to this sort of thing thank goodness. The last time he acted like this, we had a smoke detector go bad in the house and it was chirping as if it had a low battery. He's terrified of those things. No idea why.
I'm headed to Texas for work next week to go audit another one of our sites. The audits are usually interesting, but massively time consuming. It will be a long week.
Edit: Top of the page! I'll share my mug with you.
Mike
Turntabe at Ferryhill, Aberdeen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLL-SExCHTc&ab_channel=jimsheach
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Ulrich sent me this image of a roundhouse with two turntables! I believe that the N scale roundhouse that York1 John was modeled after this. It was located in Hamburg-Altona.
I guess it should be called an 'oval house'!
I wonder how many times a locomotive was driven into the adjoining pit?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Turntables?
Here's one still working.... In use!
Steamtown several years ago. We rode behind the Loco when we were there.
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Since East Broad Top's roundhouse has been getting posts, here's the roundhouse back in September 2014. Stopped by and nobody around at all.
And... the other side (is it "the back" or "the front"?):
I went to EBT not knowing it was closed. This was before 2014. It wasn't roped off in any way and I walked right up to the buildings and looked in the windows. They have a very active Facebook page for anyone who is interested. I'm glad it was in an area that wasn't prone to massive vandalization.
Kevin, a friend's son from residency is a computer programmer, traveling the world with his laptop, somehow making a living. He is currently in Singapore. He's probably too old for you daughter.
I used to explore Baltimore, when it was still safe to do so. The Inner Harbor, when it was just part of the harbor, abandoned buildings etc. I was at Port Covington, where Under Armour is now and found the abandoned Western Maryland turntable. There were no tracks anywhere nearby. There was a massive builders plate on the side, held on by 1" rusty nuts. I did not have the tools, and possibly a torch to remove that plate and regret it to this day.
York1That sounds like a great experience. This is the time in her life she can do things like that. Getting old and responsible takes a lot of adventure out of life!
I doubt she is ever going to become responsible.
She has so much fun, but I don't know if anyone could ever keep up with her.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good morning, diners. Brunhilda, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Two of the three daughters and families are coming this weekend for Mother's Day. That means cleaning the house, cleaning the bathrooms, getting the bedrooms ready, etc. We don't clean very well unless we have company coming, so this is a good thing!
SeeYou190She is off on another adventure.
That sounds like a great experience. This is the time in her life she can do things like that. Getting old and responsible takes a lot of adventure out of life!
up831I had never seen or even heard of a two turntable roundhouse before. Very unique and interesting. Does this mean we should call it an oval house?
I also had never seen something like that. The model one seems to show the turntables overlapping, which seems to stop one table from rotating completely if the other turntable is at a certain position. The photo of the real double turntable looks like both were independent of each other.
I wonder if there were ever any other examples of this setup?
I don't have any photos of the roundhouse and turntable at the BNSF yard in Lincoln, NE. I could not get close enough for any photos. I understand the turntable is still used to reverse locomotives' direction, but all the other tracks are gone and the roundhouse is for storage.
The Lincoln BNSF Hobson Yards are impressive. You can see them as you cross over the yards on Highway 77, but there's nowhere to stop or get a photo:
Have a good day, everyone. Only two more days until the weekend.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Good morning everyone. Sure seems quiet in here. Chloe, I will have a scrambled egg sandwich with a ton of cheese this morning.
My youngest daughter called me about 15 minutes ago. She moved back to Orlando from Los Angeles last year, and has just completed her first year at UCF.
Now she has decided she is moving to Tacoma, Washington, and is going to spend all Summer driving there and seeing the country.
She found an older couple in Tacoma that is building an apartment over their garage and wants someone to live there, free of charge, and take care of their dogs and just kind of look after them. She decided that sounds like a great plan.
She is off on another adventure.
Weird day at work. The store was slow, and everybody was in a glum mood.
I have no idea why, but I was apparently the only one that didn't get the memo.
up831 Oh well. I kind of thought that with everyone wanting to go as Frankenfurter or Riff Raff or Magenta, if I would ever do such a thing I'd want to go as Brad Majors complete with suit, briefcase, and nerd glasses.
Most of the time I dressed up, I went as Eddie. With the size of me, that was really the only character I could pull off. Plus, he had the best song.
It was not until I was in my forties that I finally went a couple of times as Magenta. That was a ton more fun. I only went once as Janet.
up831 Some of it was cute and semi-intelligent. Some was just crass.
One of the worst things that happened to RHPS was the release of the audience par-tic-i...pation guide on VHS. I don't know what idiot put that together, but it was very crass and juvenile, and then that became how everybody did it.
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilde, coffee with cream, please.
went to see a granddaughter's kindergarten class do a singing program at her school. When kids are that young, they're just precious. They ended the program with "Baby Shark," at least I think it was. I think the "do do do ta do's" threw the kids off a bit. But then again, I couldn't be sure. The teacher played what looked like an Alvarez Yairi that was in excellent condition. Hee was doing the motions to get the kids going then he'd strum along. It was an enjoyable show, but then any show with a granddaughter in it is enjoyable. No bias there!
John and Ed: I had never seen or even heard of a two turntable roundhouse before. Very unique and interesting. Does this mean we should call it an oval house?
My wife and I went to the Tiffany theater on Sunset to see the mid night "Rocky Horror" show several times back then. I was amazed to see all these people dressed like and miming the parts to the songs before the showing. Then they'd add dialogue during the movie. Some of it was cute and semi-intelligent. Some was just crass. Oh well. I kind of thought that with everyone wanting to go as Frankenfurter or Riff Raff or Magenta, if I would ever do such a thing I'd want to go as Brad Majors complete with suit, briefcase, and nerd glasses. But with my hair length back then, I couldn't have pulled it off.
Nothing to report MRR wise at the moment.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Good morning everyone. Chloe, seeing as it is now the afternoon, how about a corned beef sandwich on rye with a big glass of root beer?
One of the young women I work with is having her last day at work today. She was accepted into the optometry program she applied to, and is moving on with her life.
She was one of my favorite co-workers, and I am going to miss her a lot.
BigDaddySounds like a John Waters movie.
My favorite John Waters movie is Cry Baby, but there are some of his more-liked movies I still have not seen.
Howdy diners. Flo, I'll take a club sandwich and a side of cottage cheese please.
Not much news from my stretch of the world.
JaBearnot so much as cold cold, but damp cold.
BigDaddyHere is narrow gauge East Broad Top's TT and roundhouse
The EBT roundhouse and turntable from another angle:
East Broad Top, March 1971 by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's an overall view of Rockhill Furnace:
200222_7_rockhill by lmyers83, on Flickr
I was around five years of age when my dad brought me to visit the EBT in 1960 or '61. I'm amazed it has survived in this condition and, in fact, is presently undergoing an overhaul and restoration including rehabilitating long-unused trackage. Wonderful.
The rain has let up for a while and temps are nearing the 70s. So far so good...
Cheers, Ed
Good morning. Even though it's late morning, it's not too late for bacon and eggs, Chloe.
There's rain on the plain. That gives me some more time this afternoon for the layout. Work on the railroad has slowed to a crawl. I need to hire some new workers.
Have a great day!
SeeYou190Seeing 300 pound 6'7" me dressed as Janet might be something best left for the memory banks only.
Sounds like a John Waters movie.
Here is narrow gauge East Broad Top's TT and roundhouse
Hokey Pokey by Bear, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I saw a bald eagle eating an opossum on the way to work today!
I took that picture with my cell phone. I am surprised it turned out that well.
I wish I would have had my good camera.
Good morning everyone. Chloe, just coffee and whole wheat toast for me today. Thank you!
York1That reminds me of another show -- that teacher also took me to my first showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was a Friday midnight showing in an old run-down theater -
I have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show at least 75 times in the theaters. The first time I saw it I was 13 years old near the University of Florida. I have since seen it in theaters near Louisiana State University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Central Florida. University crowds were the best.
The last time I saw it in a theater was at The Ritz in Tampa. My youngest daughter was 17 and she went dressed as a perfect Floor Show Rocky (girls make the best Rockys), and I went in full drag as Floor Show Janet. We got up on stage and shadow-acted the entire floor show scenes with the ensemble. It was one of the most fun days I have ever had.
I wish I had video... or maybe not. Seeing 300 pound 6'7" me dressed as Janet might be something best left for the memory banks only.
Since no pictures exist, just use your imagination. Me as Janet, and my beautiful daughter as Rocky. In my mind, we nailed it! Photographs would probably disprove that memory.
BigDaddy Went to a trainshow in the next county. It was a well attended function. They also had Steel Track! I saw 4 different dealers with a big box of it. I can't remember seeing steel at Timonium in the years before.
Went to a trainshow in the next county. It was a well attended function. They also had Steel Track! I saw 4 different dealers with a big box of it. I can't remember seeing steel at Timonium in the years before.
Years after I started the reincarnation of my layout, I decided to get rid of my piles of old brass track. I took it to a guy at a train show who was selling brass track. I asked if he wanted it and gave it to him. The only thing I kept was a straight section that raised an uncoupling ramp for plastic hook hooks with an electromagnet. I used that because fixed horn hook uncouplers would open the hopper doors on my Tyco clamshell hoppers and dump the coal.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Careful! Somebody out there has a new trick up his paw!
Bear_Big_Bench by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's what was left of the Ivy City, D.C., roundhouse and turntable(s) in 1977. I'm not aware of any other twin TTs in North America but there may have been. These pits didn't overlap like the N scale model above. I wonder what the advantage to the overlap was? You can't spin one bridge past the other.
Ivy City Roundhouse Turntable by Edmund, on Flickr
I'm also not sure if a locomotive could run off one TT bridge and directly onto the other? You can just make out the pit outline of the second turntable in this photo.
Regards, Ed
Good morning. Just checking in. We're heading out for another funeral. I'm funeraled out.
Hope everyone has a good Monday.
I wonder how long it took someone to build this N Scale model?
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Tanfield Railway Engine Shed Restoration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGbNHR3OEK8&ab_channel=preservedrailway
BATMAN I see I have tops. The wife is doing a big prime rib tonight as we have 10 for dinner. Help yourselves, there is lots, we will be eating it all week!
I see I have tops.
The wife is doing a big prime rib tonight as we have 10 for dinner. Help yourselves, there is lots, we will be eating it all week!
well that got the attentioon of the LION.
Now I have some New York Crumb Cake for Breakfaste....
Good Morning Diners. Janie, blueberry pancakes with a side of sausage please.
Weather started out crummy yesterday, but sure ended beautiful. Actually felt like it was almost summer for the first time here. I decided that whatever we had lined up for dinner wasn't acceptable for a day like that, and grilled up some burgers instead. It was perfect.
I have a boatload of wood scraps in my garage from various projects over the years that I use as kindling in our fire pit. After some of my latest doings, my big scrap box was literally overflowing. Had a nice fire last night using nothing but scraps. Need to do a couple more like that, and I'll be in good shape. The scrap stockpile needs to go.
That rib roast reminds me of the ones my mother cooked. Wife can no longer eat meat. No history of a tick bite.
Went to a trainshow in the next county. It was a well attended function. They also had Steel Track! I saw 4 different dealers with a big box of it. I can't remember seeing steel at Timonium in the years before Covid.
Like Timonium, there were dealers with boxes and boxes of Proto E6,7 & *8's. There was more people with canes, that I ever saw in one place. A new company to me, laser buildings https://www.motrakmodelsusa.com/
A picked up a couple Atlas turnouts, NS not brass or steel, thank you.
edited kant spel
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."