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The Official Eleanor Roosevelt (And Anything Else Non-Topical) Thread

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Sunday, April 1, 2012 9:02 PM

erikem
[snipped - PDN] Packard also referred to their V-12 as a Twin Six, . . .

  My father's neighbor had a Packard with a V-12, and let my Dad drive it to the high school prom and similar events.  He said it was very smooth running - almost no vibration at all, even under power. 

Which may be one reason why in 1969 he bought a then-almost-unknown car here in the US - a new BMW 2500 with a 4-speed.  It's 6-cyl. engine produced 168 HP gross out of 153 Cu. In. - yes, that's right, better than 1 HP / Cu. In., actually about 1.1 HP/ Cu. In. - see:  http://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/1969/132035/bmw_2500.html   

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Juniatha on Monday, April 2, 2012 3:43 PM

>>

Eleanor's quote of the day:

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

Eleanor Roosevelt <<

At the risk of sounding snobby :  I sign that any time !

= J =

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 7:24 PM

Juniatha

>>

Eleanor's quote of the day:

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

Eleanor Roosevelt <<

At the risk of sounding snobby :  I sign that any time !

= J =

Ah yes, a grand lady was Eleanor Roosevelt.  She had to be, she had a New York State concealed carry permit,and the nicest looking Colt "Detective Special"  .38  you've ever seen.  I know, I saw both at  the Hyde Park museum in 1986!   Great taste in firearms! 

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Posted by Modelcar on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 9:48 PM

.....Interesting....I wonder if mine might be anyway close to the model she had...S&W Pearl handle and chrome.  6- shot....38 special.  With leather holster.  On the other hand....I believe this model would have been too big for her to carry.

Handed down in the family...Understand originally from the Spanish / American War...s/n 233886...

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Posted by Victrola1 on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 7:46 AM

Nothing beats a 12 gauge, pump action shotgun its magazine brimming with 00 buck. The problem is, a Model 12 or 97  Winchester does not fit on your belt.

 

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 5:30 PM

I've never really cared for pump-action or semi-auto shotguns.  I always preferred a classic side-by-side.  Hey, if it's good enough for Elmer Fudd it's good enough for me!

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 5:34 PM

Modelcar

.....Interesting....I wonder if mine might be anyway close to the model she had...S&W Pearl handle and chrome.  6- shot....38 special.  With leather holster.  On the other hand....I believe this model would have been too big for her to carry.

Handed down in the family...Understand originally from the Spanish / American War...s/n 233886...

Remember the classic snub-nose that Dick Tracy carried in the old days?  That's the one, the original Colt Detective Special.   Dick Tracy's originator Chester Gould was pretty good at getting the details right.

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Posted by Modelcar on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 6:01 PM

....Sorry, I overlooked the brand "Colt" in your original post on subject....and of course my S&W would not qualify.

But....Dick Tracy...I certainly remember him.  2-way wrist watch, radio and all....But I don't happen to have a great interest in guns, and evidently didn't put that image to memory....

Wouldn't it be fun to see a couple of the old comics back, at least for a short run....Might include Smilin Jack....too...Was it Joy he looked for, for the longest time.......

Trivia:  Another one {originator}, that can get the details right is in the Crankshaft comic.  Some time ago someone was in the "Late Great Pennsylvania Station", in NYC with it's details in the background.

That really caught my eye....I experienced a trip in and out of that great facility decades ago......

Quentin

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 10:59 PM

S&W made the "Chief's Special."  It was a five-shot .38.  My father, a reserve police officer, had one that he later had nickle plated.  It was a real handful to shoot, and they were notoriously inaccurate, although Dad figured out his usually shot low and to the left, as I recall.

Some referred to them as "belly guns" due to the fact that they were most effective at fairly close range.

I don't recall specifically, but I'm sure I put a few rounds through it,  most likely "wad-cutters," which aren't loaded with a full dose of powder, or a full sized bullet.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Victrola1 on Thursday, April 5, 2012 8:14 AM

When the "hunt" is over the buffaloes which have been killed are secured, and the choice parts placed in the baggage-car, which is at once crowded by passengers, each of whom feels convinced and is ready to assert that his was the shot that brought down the game. Ladies who are passengers on the trains frequently enjoy the sport, and invariably claim all the game as the result of their prowess with the rifle. This solution of the case is, of course, accepted by all gentlemen, and a more excited party of Dianas it would be impossible to imagine.

http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/stbuff.Html

A buffalo is a large target to shoot with a rifle from a slow moving train. Hitting a rabbit at speed from a train at speed with a .22 cal. rifle sounds more challenging.

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What has become of the Official Eleanor Roosevelt Thread?
Posted by Juniatha on Thursday, April 5, 2012 11:04 AM

 

... and I'm out - animals are not targets and killing is not - never was - a sport !

 

= J =

 

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, April 5, 2012 4:39 PM

......Must agree, = J =.

Quentin

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Posted by Firelock76 on Thursday, April 5, 2012 6:30 PM

Per Victrola1's  post concerning the buffalo hunt, let's remember it was a different world back then.  Behaviors which were considered normal  (like mass buffalo shootings just for the hell of it)  wouldn't be tolerated now, even by modern day hunters.  And there was a darker purpose too, every dead buffalo meant one less Indian getting a meal. 

Lest we be too quick to judge, remember in 100 years time people will be looking back on our era and wondering why we did some of the things we consider normal and acceptable.

And full disclosure here, I enjoy guns, but the only thing I've ever killed with one was an overage TV set!

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 5, 2012 6:37 PM
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 5, 2012 6:40 PM
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 5, 2012 6:43 PM
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 5, 2012 6:45 PM

Firelock76

Per Victrola1's  post concerning the buffalo hunt, let's remember it was a different world back then.  Behaviors which were considered normal  (like mass buffalo shootings just for the hell of it)  wouldn't be tolerated now, even by modern day hunters.  And there was a darker purpose too, every dead buffalo meant one less Indian getting a meal. 

Lest we be too quick to judge, remember in 100 years time people will be looking back on our era and wondering why we did some of the things we consider normal and acceptable.

And full disclosure here, I enjoy guns, but the only thing I've ever killed with one was an overage TV set!

Definitely agree with you Firelock76. 

 

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, April 5, 2012 8:31 PM

Murray

This is one of those cars in which you'll probably get a speeding ticket while parked in your driveway...  Just because you look like you're going too fast.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Murphy Siding on Thursday, April 5, 2012 9:30 PM

    950 h.p.!  How could you steer the thing?  It seems like every time you even touched the gas pedal, the front wheels would be off the ground!

     Can someone tell me the cubic inch equivilent of the 5.4 liter V-8?

     Don't all the  auto manufacturers have to meet an every-raising, EPA mandated, fleet MPG average?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by erikem on Thursday, April 5, 2012 11:45 PM

5.4 liters is about 330 cu in.

- Erik

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Posted by Victrola1 on Friday, April 6, 2012 7:29 AM

Buyers who choose Nissan's all-electric Leaf ($28,421) over its approximate gas-powered equivalent, Nissan's Versa ($18,640), will likely wait nearly 9 years until they break even, according to a new report by The New York Times that examines the cost of fuel efficiency.

For drivers of the Chevrolet Volt ($31,767), the wait is even longer— 26.6 years.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2012/04/savings-come-slowly-for-hybrid.html

Did Eleanor Roosevelt drive a Baker Electric in her youth?

The pay off on a Chevy Volt is nothing like a diesel electric versus a steam locomotive.

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Posted by Modelcar on Friday, April 6, 2012 10:27 AM

Murray

Murray..........Viewing the photo of the new Avalon certainly appears to be more aggressive in styling.  To my way of thinking based on that photo....Very nice.

Believe the ES {Lexus}, will use a version of that basic body as well....We've had two models of ES vehicles, and loved them both.

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Posted by Modelcar on Friday, April 6, 2012 10:36 AM

Murray

I've never been one seeking Mustangs, but I will say, this one is the nicest shaped, with a balanced look of any production units in the past.  A nice looking sporty automobile.

As for that horsepower.....What can one say about such excesses....Only for a very few.

Quentin

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 7, 2012 10:20 AM

All you MAC Computer owners....BEWARE:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/index.html

 

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Posted by zugmann on Saturday, April 7, 2012 1:00 PM

Modelcar

 

 

 

I've never been one seeking Mustangs, but I will say, this one is the nicest shaped, with a balanced look of any production units in the past.  A nice looking sporty automobile.

As for that horsepower.....What can one say about such excesses....Only for a very few.

 

I'm not really a "car guy" (I prefer trucks), but I do like the Mustangs.   Although I don't need 1000hp, heck, the V6 would be fine for me.  Manual, though.  I have to have some dignity...

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, April 7, 2012 8:59 PM

...Zug:

Yes, I agree, modern computer controlled, variable valve timing....direct fuel injection, and perhaps a few other modern apps. do the job so well now, that a 3L or 3.5L V-6 is a right good performer. 

Both in Mustang and Camaro.

Have had V-6's in our last two automobiles, and a 2.5L V-6 engine in current auto....And I might add my little truck as well.  A 4.3L V-6.

Past decades when vehicles weighed more and controls not quite as electronic and capable as they are now, it required a bigger CID to make it "run"....

Plus the cost of fuel now is a factor.

Quentin

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Posted by Victrola1 on Sunday, April 8, 2012 12:35 AM

Arriving on target, the B-24's were confronted with one of the most heavily protected facilities the Germans had. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, heavy-caliber machine guns and defending aircraft, Ploesti's defenses included a specially designed flak train made up of freight cars whose sides could drop revealing anti-aircraft artillery that spewed death from its guns as the train raced in tandem with attacking planes.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ploesti.htm

Link did not take.

Check it out. Shooting at moving targets from a moving train.

 


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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 8, 2012 10:21 AM

Victrola1

Arriving on target, the B-24's were confronted with one of the most heavily protected facilities the Germans had. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, heavy-caliber machine guns and defending aircraft, Ploesti's defenses included a specially designed flak train made up of freight cars whose sides could drop revealing anti-aircraft artillery that spewed death from its guns as the train raced in tandem with attacking planes.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ploesti.htm

Link did not take.

Check it out. Shooting at moving targets from a moving train.

There is a live stream that has WWII-related news carried live as it happened on the radio.

Its is quite facinating considering how corresponded reported back to the US via shortwave back then.

If you go to http://www.live365.com and then do a search on "Golden-Age News Network" you'll find it.

NOTE:  You can listen to "Live 365" for free...but there is also a "VIP option" that you can pay to subscribe to.

Happy listening.

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, April 8, 2012 12:35 PM

Modelcar

...Zug:

Yes, I agree, modern computer controlled, variable valve timing....direct fuel injection, and perhaps a few other modern apps. do the job so well now, that a 3L or 3.5L V-6 is a right good performer. 

Both in Mustang and Camaro.

Have had V-6's in our last two automobiles, and a 2.5L V-6 engine in current auto....And I might add my little truck as well.  A 4.3L V-6.

Past decades when vehicles weighed more and controls not quite as electronic and capable as they are now, it required a bigger CID to make it "run"....

Plus the cost of fuel now is a factor.

 

I would hope people buying a new Mustang aren't too concerned about fuel costs, but you never know.  I was doing a little browsing last night, and it looks to be about a $7000 + upcharge to get the 8 cylinder over the 6 (depending on packages, the dealers around here never get the base packages for their lots).

Both my trucks are 8 cylinders (4.7 and a 4.6)  and it's more power than I really need.But since I  I have a short drive to work it doesn't make mathematical sense to buy a new car just for fuel savings.   Now if someday I want to buy a fun car, then the Mustang will be near the top of the list.  But I always was partial to the blue oval.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Sunday, April 8, 2012 9:24 PM

Victrola1

Arriving on target, the B-24's were confronted with one of the most heavily protected facilities the Germans had. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, heavy-caliber machine guns and defending aircraft, Ploesti's defenses included a specially designed flak train made up of freight cars whose sides could drop revealing anti-aircraft artillery that spewed death from its guns as the train raced in tandem with attacking planes.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ploesti.htm

Link did not take.

Check it out. Shooting at moving targets from a moving train.

 


...raced in tandem?  Sure,  I guess, as long as the plain's flight path paralleled that of the train,  but that seems unlikely.  It seems like shooting at a moving plane from a moving train would be more difficult than shooting from a fixed position.

     I've never seen a good explanation for why Ploesti was bombed from such a low altitude.  From what I understand, the refineries were quite large, and hard to miss.    Why couldn't the bombs have been dropped from high up- above the effective range of some of the smaller AA guns?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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