As is our custom, here is the list of fallen model railroaders who have made a significant contribution to the Forums in the past:
Hi everyone!!
For the month of June, we are going to have to switch out the trucks on the Diner. We are going back in time to visit the Newfoundland Railway which was narrow gauge. Every freight car that came to the island had to have the trucks switched to accommodate the 42" rail spacing.
As was mentioned in the May Diner, the menu will have a couple of additions. Newfie Screech will be added to the liquor selection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Screech . Patrons are asked to keep their vocalizations to a minimum if they are doing shots. We also add a couple of local delicacies like salt cod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_and_salted_cod and cod tongues and cheeks. Your steak will be either caribou or moose, and Figgy Duff pudding will be the dessert of choice&nb
Just checking in to say hello. I’ve got depressing news, so if humor or distraction is what you need, by all means stop reading and move on.
My oldest daughter (the one who has been dealing with a medical/surgical issue for over a year now) got some poor news from the doctor yesterday. After her second surgery, healing was happening, but very slowly. Appointment yesterday found that the surgical site (which was literally almost healed a month ago) actually opened back up to an appreciable depth, all while not increasing discharge. The only good news is that it is not infected. She is being referred to a plastic surgeon as our small town docs can’t figure out why her body refuses to heal up. The plastic surgeon apparently should have techniques to make it happen. Another month wait to see them, then schedule whatever comes next, all while trying to get her ready for her first year of university. Frustrated doesn’t begin to describe it. For those that actually read this, thanks and sorry. I just needed to let it out. Perhaps some of Dave’s Screech is in order.
I had a patient like that. A wound on the buttock. I had to clean it out twice a day and pack it with a wet-to-dry dressing. In the beginning I could put a whole package of dressing in there, but as the weeks went on it would take less and less until finally he did not need idt any more.
Since this is june I thought we should have some June Beetles…
Happy month of June to everyone! I’ve never been to Newfoundland. I have been to Nova Scotia a couple of times. I saw the Total Eclipse in 1972. Nope, no Lear Jet.
My best to all those who aren’t feeling well, and their family members as well. The GF is going to see the cardiologist today. She’s going to see my cardiologist this time. He’s more of a minimalist. A lot of doctors here, unfortunately, have become mere wage slaves and seem to be more interested in profits for their employers than good outcomes for their patients. And don’t get me started on doing medical appointments over the phone.
On 18 March 1953, Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth was co-piloting a Convair RB-36H Peacemaker bomber on a 25-hour journey as part of a simulated combat mission flying from Lajes, Azores back to the Rapid City Air Force Base. As part of their exercise, the bomber’s crew was observing radio silence and had switched off their radar guidance, flying via celestial navigation. They had planned to fly low over the ocean, steadily increasing to higher altitudes before reaching the mountainous countryside of
Mike, that’s not good news, but with no infection, it’s not completely bad. I know your daughter (and you) must be getting completely frustrated and depressed, so just know you have a bunch of friends on this forum who are thinking of you.
Here is another article about the history of the Newfoundland Railway:
The Newfoundland railway operated for a little over a century. From 1882-97 the trains ran over completed portions of a projected trans-insular line. The first passenger train across the island ran in June 1898. Regular passenger service ceased in July 1969, and the last freight ran in June 1988. The railbed has since been designated a “T’railway” and a linear provincial park.
Built to narrow (3’6") gauge for reasons of economy, the Newfoundland railway was the longest such line in North America, and was regarded with particular affection by railway buffs (its gently mocking nickname, “the Newfie Bullet” dates only from World War II). The main line was 548 miles, from St. John’s to Port aux Basques. Numerous branch lines made the operating trackage in the peak years (1915-31) 906 miles.
Pump Car, ca. 1905
Foreman Billy Best and sectionmen on a pump car, probably near Port Blandford.
From the A.R. Penney Collection. Courtesy of Harry Cuff Publications.
I first learned of CN’s narrow gauge operations in Newfoundland when I read Tom Nelligan’s article on the island’s mixed trains in the June 1980 edition of Passenger Train Journal. It took me 37 years–until 2017–to finally make a visit to the island. Unfortunately for me, the railway closed back in 1988! Still, having the better part of a week to spend in St. John’s, I wanted to see what ghosts were left of the railway in the Avalon region at the eastern end of the island. There was a surprising amount to see, even 29 years after closure…
This is interesting. The Newfoundland Railway nearly got started in 1869, but the then independent colony declined. The situation was far more complicated then just building a railway. Financing for the railway was offered by Canada but it carried with it the requirement that Newfoundland join the Canadian Confederation. The offer was declined.
"AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL NOTE
During the 1860s when sponsored by the governments of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Québec) to determine the best rail route to link them with the Maritimes, the renowned Canadian railway engineer Sir Sandford Fleming recommended a line to terminate at Shippigan in northeastern New Brunswick. At the same time, he suggested a land/sea link with Europe that would include Newfoundland in a journey of 171 hours from London to New York. He described it as follows, although some of his time estimates may have been a little optimistic:
From London (England) to Valentia (SW Ireland) using existing facilities 16.0 hrs
From Valentia by sea to St John's (Newfoundland) 1,640 miles at 16½ mph 100.0 hrs
From St John's (NF) by rail to St George's (W NF) 250 miles at 30 mph 8.5 hrs
From St George's (NF) by sea to Shippigan (New Brunswick) 250 miles at 16½ mph 15.5 hrs
From Shippigan (NB) by rail to New York, 906 miles at 30mph 31.0 hrs
--------------------
TOTAL 171.0 hrs
Sir John A Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada, offered to finance the Newfoundland section of this project, if the Island would agree to confederation with Canada. An election was held in Newfoundland in 1869 and the anti-confederates won. A further obstacle was the British Government’s concern to maintain the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. Consequently the m
What a change over seven weeks. This time next week they start going to their new homes. They have already been tested extensively for what the future may hold for them.
A life of service, movie stardom or being the best family pet awaits.
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