Right. Ok ..well seems I have a project...needs to be done anyway
Thank you very much RME.
Think we talked about this before but the process was not clear and time may have been a factor. If I'm marking a pile of papers things tend to slip.
This will take a while ...please don't despair!
Test...Ok it worked!...Loading core samples from our PreCambrian Lab to haul over to the event.
NDG CN 9000 F3. Manual Transition.
9000 is still around today, still has manual transistion, 24RL brakes and a 567B (rebuilt to BC) engine. Still runs like a champ. In operation on this year's opening weekend at the Alberta Railway Museum:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/617523/
Fireman is looking back to watch for photographers who like to roam the track like ants when we are open. More 9000 shots at the Museum, with FP9 6514, which has since been repainted to 1950s passenger colours:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/334216/
With operational ten-wheeler 1392:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/446012/
With F9B 6614 (also since repainted) in the background:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/336408/
And wearing the stripes & noodle when still in freight service, note clip-on ditchlights:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/366453/
And great shots too Miningman, keep them coming!
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Well I'm a bit clumsy at this yet, using Imgur.
You can sort of get the flavour. That is the PreCambrian Lab where we store our core and have a complete "library" of important core samples throughout the North Of Saskatchewan. We have special ventilation and shielding to handle the many radioactive core boxes. Great place and open daily for the public.
My students moved about 100 boxes of core, U, Au, and Massive Sulphides to the event tents.
That's our CEO with a Federal Minister of Western Development ( obviously full fledged members of the Illuminate, but he really is a great guy), cutting a "chain" because a ribbon won't do for a Mining School. Faux anyway as it was plastic!
Once I was required to make these photos "public" on the internet in order to post in the forum I started getting loads of comments from people who must sit on that Imgur site just ready to pounce! Fascinating to say the least.
Have many more but do not want to bore everyone to tears.
Our new place, however, Rocks!
Entrance to the Geology Lab...my main hangout outside of the classroom.
My classroom
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper viewing our 3 simulators.
SD70M-2Dude- Wow ...9000 looks great. Really liked that shade of green as on the original and the smaller Canadian National printing along the carbody. Beautiful. Make sure we get to see the A-B set when it's rolled out. Have this exactly this way in N Scale, brass custom paint.
You guys are doing a great job. Had a chance to hire out on CN in Peace River early in life. Opted for school instead. Often wonder what would have been. Took 2 memorable trips on the NAR while it was still the NAR. Had the worlds finest conductor...what a calm, confident, outstanding friendly fella. Have always told myself "if I could be like this guy I will do just fine in life". That was easy going railroading, but with a purpose.
Thanks Miningman, 9000's paintjob is about 20 years old now, that Endura epoxy paint really lasts! What job did you almost take with the railway? I've a feeling you would have made an excellent Brakeman, Conductor or Engineer.
I don't have any of my own photos uploaded and was unable to find a good shot of the B-unit but here are some more of 6514, half baked with 44-tonner #4:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=20006
3/4 baked, the blue Baggage/RPO is ex-NAR 1460 (which may have been on your train) and the unit inside the shop is privately owned FP9ARM 6311:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/583090/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/582896/
Painting completed but missing silver/chrome grilles, which were badly discoloured (corrosion or fire damage?) and are being repainted:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/617551/
Since you mentioned the Northern Alberta here is the only diesel currently in NAR paint, GMD1 302 "Chief Moostoos", half-baked and then nearly complete:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/495837/
http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/ex-nar-gmd-1-302-chief-moostoos-is-seen-cosmetically-restored-ta-the-alberta-railway-museum
Also here's a link to the website of the Fireman from that first 9000 photo, he can be quite the shutterbug. If you browse around a bit there is a photo of NAR 302 after the cosmetic restoration was completed:
http://barryc53.weebly.com/
SD70M-2Dude here's a link to the website of the Fireman from that first 9000 photo http://barryc53.weebly.com/
... where, with a little recourse to the menu, you come to the restoration of steam locomotive 1392 and 'Sam McGee Cleaning the Firebox'. This called for recognition and a bi-national Moment of Culture:
Outstanding connection RME. Too good! Top Notch!
Great stuff SD70M-2Dude.
That "royal" blue the NAR used was as good as any of the big Class 1's fancy colour schemes.
RME 'Sam McGee Cleaning the Firebox'
'Sam McGee Cleaning the Firebox'
My how time flies, I had forgotten about that moment. The volunteer in that picture was nicknamed "Sam McGee" due to the amount of time he spent in the firebox that year. Johnny Cash really does it justice in his reading, thanks for posting. Service did an excellent job of capturing the northern atmosphere in writing, which is why his work has proved so enduring.
The "derelict" Alice May also features in another Service poem, the more humourous "Kathleen":
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_william_service/poems/13363
I am really impressed by your photos too Miningman, that is an excellent setup you have there. In addition to the great collection you have the whole place looks very clean and well-organized too. And I am glad to see that the politicians pay attention to it too and head up north, even if only for a day.
Your new place does indeed Rock!
Thank You.
Well I know that our new Mine School is not on par, at least "building, infrastructure and budget wise" with Harvard, Yale or The U of T. I mean, our several parking lots are not even paved and likely will never be. However, our accrediting institution is the world reknown Haileybury School of Mines, Provincial Institute of Mining, now 107 years and still going strong. We have strong industry support rather than too much government and an outstanding mineral collection and unrivalled diamond drill core library. Our grads get good employment and all in all it is sensible and produces real results. Despite long hard winters, life in the North is clean, pristine and very satisfying. Summer is outstanding.
Our graduation ceremony was last night. Many tears and incredible accomplishments. It is better than gangs, guns and rampant drugs.
Our indigenous communities from all over the North have made incredible contributions and real role models are returning home and on to starting careers all over the world and througout the North. It is all good. 7 of the 39 grads have been with us starting all the way from back in Basic Adult Education!
Dinner was at our golf course ...the MC, our Marketing guy, needing some method to choose which table from 20+ gets to go to the buffet first, announced "anyone want to sing for their supper?" Everyone was silent of course, so seizing the opportunity I marched up there and belted out a chorus from "Oliver" the musical, "Consider Yourself".
Well that worked!
Now if it was only so easy to get a Railroad up here!
NDG- Wow! What a treat.
I am including these images in my digital library and will definitely use them in my Mineral Processing class. This way I can also digress a wee bit about the trains During class.
This is exactly the way I remember the way we did things, slightly different depending on where. Sudbury or Noranda? Flin Flon or Thompson? Variations of the same principles.
The new Lalor Lake Mine in Snow Lake, Manitoba ( Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting or HBM&S), trams their ore 8 km and all underground to the now new completely refurbished and rebuilt "old headframe" at the original site of the original Snow Lake Mine. This avoided having to apply for a new "License to Mine", which could take years and years with tremendous hurdles, as HBM&S had the wisdom and uncanny foresight of keeping the old mine on "care and maintenance" over 30+ years rather than decommissioning it. Give them some kind of medal!
Diamond Drilling revealed the new orebody, at considerable depth, in the mid 2000's.
Trains and Mining, Mining and Trains. So much on so many levels, pardon the pun.
Thanks again.
Stunning picture....can you supply a bit more information? What train is it? ( think I know but many would not)...exact location? When was this train discontinued?
Hard to accept that we lost this. What was the usual steam power on this train before the FM's.
So good!
Canadian Pacific at its very best.
BEAUTIFUL!
Johnny
Wonderful Data on the Internet!
Looking at the photo of the CPR train #12, Vancouver to Calgary, as provided in the link from NDG, passing by CrowsNest mountain, gives a person plenty to pause and think about.
The train is gone, you can no longer go from Vancouver to Calgary on a passenger train. The rails are lifted on the Kettle Valley line, save for a very small section used by a tourist line.
Milwaukee Road Olympian gone as well, and the rails lifted. Other as well. None of those will come back.
Quite the situation. So we have the Empire Builder, The Canadian and the seasonal Rocky Mountaineer. Routing is limited. The Empire Builder and Canadian are at the whim of federal governments and politics. Lets hope they can hang on. The day for resurrected rail travel will come.
The Rocky Mountaineer is for tourists, not travellers.
As a society this is self inflicted, a rejection of what built these countries, even a fatalistic ignorance of our history, fabric and a reasonable option for travel, one that a few can dimly see in the lost fog of our heritage.
People will answer "I'm a horse and buggy guy" or "thats progress" or some other related nonsense. Say what you will, believe what they tell you and spew the usual talking points.
The equipment was paid for a long time ago, the rails were laid down a long time ago, it was all there.
Just the Wall Street bonuses alone total twice as much as the entire combined wages for all of us. Think about that and think about what we lost.
Great stuff NDG. 4105 sure looks like it's had a hard life. The B Unit with the new multimark paint scheme seems freshly shopped. Do you know what the third unit is? ...not CPR paint scheme?
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