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Lifeblood of the industry (coffee of course)

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Posted by Norm48327 on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:13 PM

CO,

I believe to get those email alerts you have to be subscribed to the thread. OTOH, if you are receiving private messages that are not addressed to you that is something the IT people should be aware of and correct.

Norm


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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:16 PM

Convicted One
 
Murphy Siding
paranoia about how the moderators aren't fair to him,

 

 

The threads that were locked were not my threads Murhp. In fact one of them was  yours, which was fairly obviously designed to take a slap at a segment of the membership here. The other was the thread that was made in parody of yours.

When they got nuked, I wasn't at all surprised. I was surprised however, with the bombardment of PM's into my email account, from others debating the merits of the moderation. SEVERAL of those PM's were from a trains staff member, telling other members that "threads not pertaining to trains will be locked or deleted".  A further qualification from that staffer was included claiming "no one is being picked on here,"  it's just how out of context threads will be handled.

 

Now, if my wondering why rules that were recently (and in high volume) reaffirmed into my personal email account (unsolicited, I might add) are  NOT being enforced equitably...appears as "paranoia" to you..you might want to consider researching the term paranoia because the understanding you appear to have seems suspect.Wow

 

Laugh  Which end of the Push-Me-Pull-You are you listening to there bud?  I asked Angela to lock my thread that I had started to poke fun at gardendance.  You do remember what fun is-right?  I don't believe there was a parody made of that thread, bur mine was a parody of the one that gardendance started.  Which is why I asked that it be locked when etc... etc..  Anyway, I'm glad you got this thread turned around to be all about you again.Wink 

ps. what's a Murhp?

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:20 PM

Murphy Siding
I don't believe there was a parody made of that thread, bur mine was a parody of the one that gardendance started

 

Looks like I got my parodies crossed. Black Eye 

 

Whats a "bur"?

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:21 PM

Norm48327

CO,

I believe to get those email alerts you have to be subscribed to the thread. OTOH, if you are receiving private messages that are not addressed to you that is something the IT people should be aware of and correct.

 

  No, actually the guy trying to make a  federal case out of it was the one who purposely put in the names on the PM of all the 2 dozen people he wanted to pull into the mud with him.  He wanted attention, and it appears he got it. Yeah.Dead

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:23 PM

Convicted One
 
Murphy Siding
I don't believe there was a parody made of that thread, bur mine was a parody of the one that gardendance started

 

 

Looks like I got my parodies crossed. Black Eye 

 

Whats a "bur"?

 

What is... half a burrito?

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:24 PM

Norm48327
you have to be subscribed to the thread.

 

That wasn't it in this case. I never subscribe to any threads.

 

I suspect that certain members copied me with their complaints, and that set me up to be copied with all the replies that came afterwards. just a hunch.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 4:28 PM

Convicted One
 
Norm48327
you have to be subscribed to the thread.

 

 

That wasn't it in this case. I never subscribe to any threads.

 

I suspect that certain members copied me with their complaints, and that set me up to be copied with all the replies that came afterwards. just a hunch.

 

  Check your PM

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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 4:30 PM

Convicted One - I too got all the pms - but I was thrilled to have all those people talking to me.  Short-lived, but fun for awhile.  Cool

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 4:30 PM

The way this is going, the discussion over threads will have more posts than were made about coffee (or other beverages...) in the first place.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Here's a blast from the past...

A recipe for caboose coffee from the turn of the 20th Century, courtesy of William Knape's wonderful book "The Railroad Caboose."

Concerns a New York Central brakeman named Martin Fraser who "...had a way with Java, too.  First, he'd throw a half-dozen handfuls of coffee into the pot and add water.  Then the concoction would stand overnight and he'd boil it in the morning, and when you drank it-WOW!"

Hey, they wuz tough in them days!

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 5:35 PM

tree68
The way this is going, the discussion over threads will have more posts than were made about coffee (or other beverages...) in the first place.

 

C'mon now, gimme SOME  credit. I waited for the coffee discussion to run out of steam before seizing the pulpit.  Big SmileThumbs Up

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 5:44 PM

Murphy Siding
Check your PM

 

Thanks, yeah that's pretty close to what I suspected.  Good to know it works that way before replying to any (future) potential bomb.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 5:52 PM

Convicted One

 

 
Murphy Siding
Check your PM

 

 

Thanks, yeah that's pretty close to what I suspected.  Good to know it works that way before replying to any (future) potential bomb.

 

You're welcome. Have you come up with a good train subject yet?

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 6:21 PM

Mookie
Short-lived, but fun for awhile. Cool

 

Sometimes the ride is half the fun of getting there, I agree.  The e-mail account I used to register here is not one that i open everyday. It's mostly one that I use just for places that you have to give an e-mail address in order to register.

 So, the "flap" that all of this was about, was pretty much over for a couple weeks before I ever even saw the argument that came out of it. So, when I at first opened the PMs, my first thought was "I don't remember complaining about those closures, in fact I expected them"

 Somehow the messages from the staffer insisiting "no one is being picked on" caught most of my attention, probably because I knew it was schmaltz, anyway.My 2 Cents

 But, knowing this place as i do, I knew it wouldn't be long  before another such thread would pop up, affording an opportunity to separate the schmaltz from the good graces.

I wasn't disappointed. Coffee

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Posted by Convicted One on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 6:27 PM

Murphy Siding
Have you come up with a good train subject yet?

 

The two suggestions I offered earlier were sincere.  I've heard the bushes are full of snitches near some main lines. It might do some members here some good to appreciate how popular those types of guys aren't. Smile, Wink & Grin

 

In fact, Ive even heard that one of the major eastern railroads has snitches out in the bushes keeping track of the other snitches. Clown

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 6:31 PM

Convicted One

 

 
Murphy Siding
Have you come up with a good train subject yet?

 

 

The two suggestions I offered earlier were sincere.  I've heard the bushes are full of snitches near some main lines. It might do some members here some good to appreciate how popular those types of guys aren't. Smile, Wink & Grin

 

 I dunno.  I've seen guys more sincere about paint flaking off bridges.Pirate

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Posted by wanswheel on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 7:16 PM

Firelock76

Concerns a New York Central brakeman named Martin Fraser

It seems Martin Fraser was the cook but Lawrence McDonald made the coffee.

United Press article, November 1954

Ogdensburg, N. Y. (UP) — Brakeman Martin Fraser, the "chocolate pudding king" of the New York Central Railroad "caboose cooks" is ready for another winter on the rugged Adirondack Mountain line. Fraser is one of the few remaining exponents of the once-familiar art of "caboose cookery," which is still practiced along the icy northern New York railroad runs. Old-time railroaders can remember when any passing caboose exuded the aroma of freshly-made coffee. Now there are very few left familiar with such culinary pursuits. But the crews of freight trains that daily chug their way through the heart of the Adirondacks are well-versed in cooking. The area they work is known as the state's "icebox" —with drifts reaching 15 feet and mercury dropping to 30 below in the winter.  "We don't have any special recipes," said Fraser, "just plain good old fashioned cooking. In the winter, we especially like warmed up potatoes with onions and hamburgers cooked in.

"I'm known as the chocolate pudding king on the run" said Fraser. "I make the pudding in an old kettle and, I tell you, that fire I use is sure hot." Caboose cooking came to life in the days when freight crews were away from home base for long stretches at a time. They considered the caboose home during those periods. Most crews now have faster runs and spend less time in the caboose. As a result, caboose cooking has mostly given away to the lunch box. But the Adirondack crews carry on the tradition. Long before the train is set to roll, the pot-bellied stove in the caboose has been stoked with coal. Fraser said all the trainmen "are great lovers of coffee." And he added, "I dare say Lawrence McDonald of Norwood is the best coffee-maker on the division.”

McDonald's secret is simple. "A clean pot and fresh coffee are a must," he said, "if you like to get it right." He likes to recall one old-timer who had a sure-fire recipe and a widespread reputation for good coffee. "It would make your hair stand on end," McDonald said. "First he'd throw a handful of coffee into a pot and add water. Then the concoction would set overnight and he'd bring it to a boil in the morning. And when you drank it—wow!"

Fraser pointed out breakfasts on the run are always the same. And it’s a standing joke to ask the cook "what are you going to have for breakfast?" It's always the same answer— "Coffee, eggs, toast, jam and bacon," said Fraser. ''But it sure tastes good with the windows all covered with frost and the crew hollering “more coffee, cook!"

 

Photos of Fraser and McDonald are in NYC Headlight article, “Caboose Cook…Vanishing Artist,” pages 4 and 5.

http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/headlight/images/headlight-0454.pdf

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 8:49 PM

Thanks again for that one, Mike / wanswheel.

- Paul North.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 8:57 PM

wanswheel
on the rugged Adirondack Mountain line

Interesting.  That's where I run!  

LarryWhistling
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Come ride the rails with me!
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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 9:03 PM

Convicted One
 
Deggesty
should we be forced to abandon social threads?

 

 

I think it would be better if we abandoned dual standards. That was my intention.

 

The coffee thread doesn't bother me, the dual standard does.  Perhaps this might sink into some of the thicker skulls that do all the complaining everytime they see another thread THEY themselves do not agree with?  Probably expecting too much.

 

Yes, you are...

23 17 46 11

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Posted by schlimm on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 9:25 PM

Convicted One
But, knowing this place as i do, I knew it wouldn't be long  before another such thread would pop up, affording an opportunity to separate the schmaltz from the good graces. I wasn't disappointed

Well, that's a relief.  It would not do at all for your eminence to feel disappointed!

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Posted by ricktrains4824 on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 11:20 PM

In CO's defense, I was also one who got the bobmbardment of PM and emails, and, once I realized what was really going on, (that a certain someone wanted attention still), I had a little fun with it. (After I got over the whole totally annoyed part. It was very aggravating to be pulled into that situation, by some jerk wanting attention... But, enough of the irritated talk....)

See, every reply sent another email, and mass PM, as it started out as one mass PM, complaining about that "other thread" that was nuked. Then, when the "that's unfair" was not coming, complaints did. And, those who replied to the unwanted emails, like myself, asking how to get rid of the unwanted attention, it emailed everyone again, with a new mass PM. So, a couple of people, myself included, started replying to each others comments about how we were now "contributing to the clogging of inboxes" while totally ignoring the original sender, after many, myself included, defended the locking and nuking. (Yes, kinda ruff, but, hey, "he started it" applies here.) Once it was seen that this little attempt at further attention, and poor attempt at continued discussion of said subject that was locked, didn't work, the whole thing died. (As it should have.)

And, Convicted One, I thought my whole "redirect to the subject of trains" would only get a smile, your full pirate smile topped it! That has now made my day. THANKS! (Seriously, kinda ruff workday, so seeing that my not-so-subtle sarcasm got a chuckle, as was my intent, was indeed good. A serious thanks here.)

EDIT: And, back to the original subject, anyone ever try Mexican hot chocolate? (I'm more for cocoa than coffee. But, as I said earlier, if I need to, I will drink it. Such as when asthma flare-ups occur. Coffee, due to the heat and the caffeine content, more so caffeine, but the heat also helps it, helps open the airways a little more. See, it's a health food! Laugh)

I ask this, as someone recently gave me some, and it was pretty good..... And is on the hot beverage subject of the thread.

Ricky W.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 11:44 AM

     I know that the selling price of coffee is based on the open market.  With the drop in fuel prices, which is a big cost in all transportation including trains,  has anyone seen the price of coffee going down?

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Posted by Euclid on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 12:34 PM
LIFEBLOOD of the INDUSTRY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION by CLIMATE CHANGE
 
 

“Scientists have provided the first on-the-ground evidence that climate change has already had a substantial impact on coffee production in the East African Highlands region, according to a recently published paper in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.”

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Posted by Norm48327 on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 1:15 PM

Euclid
LIFEBLOOD of the INDUSTRY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION by CLIMATE CHANGE
 
 

“Scientists have provided the first on-the-ground evidence that climate change has already had a substantial impact on coffee production in the East African Highlands region, according to a recently published paper in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.”

 

You read it on the internet so it must be true (NOT). Sad

Edit: My smilie landed where I wanted it to.

Norm


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Posted by Paul of Covington on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 1:41 PM

Norm48327
 
Euclid
LIFEBLOOD of the INDUSTRY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION by CLIMATE CHANGE
 
 

“Scientists have provided the first on-the-ground evidence that climate change has already had a substantial impact on coffee production in the East African Highlands region, according to a recently published paper in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology.”

 

 

 

You read it on the internet so it must be true (NOT). Sad

Edit: My smilie landed where I wanted it to.

 

   I remember seeing something about this on TV about a year or two ago.   Unlike the internet, if you see it on TV, it must be true.

_____________ 

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Posted by Euclid on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 5:05 PM

Well they say that the best Arabica coffee needs cool temperatures, and the earth has a fever.   

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 5:17 PM

Interesting story Wanswheel, at least Mr. McDonald's name isn't lost to history.

Bill Knapke DID mention Mr. Fraser as the "Chocolate Pudding King" but I left that out as we're talking about coffee.   Aren't we?

Several of those photos in the linked article are shown in "The Railroad Caboose."

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Posted by Convicted One on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 5:34 PM

edblysard
Yes, you are...

 

How would you deal with workplace rule enforcement that was arbitrary and capricious?

My guess is that you would have your union rep set up a "hostile workplace" grievance?

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Posted by Convicted One on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 5:43 PM

Murphy Siding
I've seen guys more sincere about paint flaking off bridges

 

Whatever happened to 'ol Poppa Zitski, anyway? He seemed to disappear about the time that Eric left.

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