Kinzua bridge in McKean Pennsylvania
Is this the one? Looks like this today:
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I had a great experience in high school, once I got my head right about it, and during my career I was privileged to be on its faculty for short time.
The 1926 building was recently restored and rebuiltâat a cost of about $105 million. It shines today as it did then. See for yourself:
Itâs my experience that about as many people hate their high school years as love them. Most people are neutral and donât think much about it afterwards.
That being said, I thought it was a blast to be a middle-class high school student in the mid-1960âs.
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Thatâs the âbridge.â Nice photos, thanks!
Awful to see it lying in heap, but thatâs a tornado for yunz.
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For those wondering, the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks, Oregon. And, as the photoâs viewing the north shore, the tracks are now those carrying BNSF Green Machines (yea, TF!). UP now runs on the tracks on the south side, likely less than 25 yards behind the photographer.
EDIT!!
Boy, did I goober the above! The bridge is IDâd correctly but the aspect is reversed. It views the City of Portland on the historic UP right of way on the south side of the river. But the angle of the shadow of the bridge pier on the left could only have been produced in the early evening around the time of the summer solstice. Thereâs probably less than a three-week window for this photo.
John
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As a kid I rode the City of Portland from Nebraska to Tacoma, Washington, to see my sick grandfather. Two nights on a train and eating in the dining car were great highlights. From what you say, I must have been on a train that was on that track pictured.
Thanks for the info!
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York 1 -
I did an edit. Right bridge, wrong side of the river. Editâs on the orginal post now.
(Attuvian) John
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Good afternoon from an extremely wet and windy West side. It has been a very dry Summer and it is welcome. Of course as always happens the rain arrives with the annual fair.
I just had two bottles of Captain Morgan show up. One was from a neighbour who got held up on the other side of the country due to family issues and she phoned in a panic asking me to get her irrigation up and running on her small 5 acre farm. With temps North of 30c on two of the days her operation was in trouble. I must have spent a good six hours keeping things going.
I retired at 52. I had not planned on it or even thought about it. I had taken a couple weeks leave over Christmas and was enjoying my time with my 10 year old son and 8 year old daughter so much I decided we should go to Hawaii for a couple weeks. I had enough leave in the bank to take me to age 55 for a full pension so I made the call. It was a good decision. My kids went to a private school that had days that were one hour longer than the public schools. As a result they had extra weeks off while the public schools were still grinding away. We always had time after the crowds went home from the sunny lands. So for my last three years I was still on strength with my pay going in the bank every two weeks and still getting my 8 weeks annual vacation and 3 weeks sick leave for three years. When I hit retirement day I got paid for 33 weeks of unused leave.
I had an interesting relationship with school, lots to tell. I have done very well in my 68 years and to this day think school just slowed me down.
Mike, congrats on tying the knot. My wife and I got married at the Hyatt in Kauai. We let people know what we were doing and were somewhat surprised when over twenty of our friends and family were on our aircraft going over. We all had the best time together, it could not have been better.
Mike, when my wife took my son back to University in Ottawa she rented a Ford Flex and hit Costco and wasnât looking forward to getting all his loot to his 9th floor suite in residence. When they pulled up to the dorm there were 100s of students unloading the cars as they drove up and taking the stuff to the rooms like a military operation. Easiest thing in the world she said, all she had to do was find a parking spot after the 1 minute it took them to unload the car. The same thing happened for my daughter in Victoria two years later.
They both had to bug-out for Covid. My son got the word on a Thursday night and we had him on a flight home early Saturday morning. We knew it was coming and I told him to be packed and ready to go which he was. Not sure he ever went back as he finished from home.
Wife is on a dog show circuit for the next week, so it is me and the kidâs.
All the best to all.
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Gidday Chloe, a large dram of Ratu Premium Blend Rum, please. The last few weeks have been hectic at work, not helped by having Her-in-Doors, (who never gets sick) down with a bad dose of the flu. She makes for being a lousy patient!
I have been looking through the Diners door and am enjoying the various bridges.
We have had 9 days of hard frosts in the morning followed by blue skies, though you donât want to be out in the southerly breeze! Misty rain today, which is Ok cos I needed to calculate my Goods & Services Tax. Yeh!!! 
For me high school was just a thing I had to do, the system wouldnât allow me to do the subjects that I wanted to do. I havenât seen any of my former school mates, though occasionally I do wonder how some of them went.
Retirement. HMMM??!!
Back in 92, the then Government encouraged by the Business Roundtable / Employers Federation, in a case of short-sighted stupidity, scrapped the âtraditionalâ apprenticeship scheme.
As a consequence around 2005, I along with other engineers in their 40s was informed, that because of the lack of engineers trained in the past 13 years, we would have to work until 80 to cover the lack of depth! So�
I actually still enjoy working, though to be fair, I got rid of my ânuisanceâ clients, (though one is on notice) but do acknowledge that Iâm slowing down. I can still squeeze in under an instrument panel, but like kneeling on the floor, find that the getting out, or up is the hard part. I note that I also donât âBounceâ as I once did.
Several of my customers have indicated that when I do âpull the pinâ it will be time to sell their aircraft.
Beside Her-in Doors would not tolerate me lying idle!!
I mistakenly captioned the Capburn Bridge as the Tiroiti Bridge which is on the Central Otago Rail Trail. The Tiroiti village sprung up as a construction camp for the bridge, existing between 1895 to 1897. The village had churches, a store, and a school, the school being moved to the next construction camp.
The Tiroiti Bridge. by Bear, on Flickr
Thoughts and Best Wishes to All that need them. Kia Kaha.
Cheers, the Bear. 
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Good afternoon Diners on this sunny day. A large coffee with a shot of rum please, Chloe.
Once I left school I never met former pupils or teachers again.
Likewise when I left Universities. I think it was the fact I was always travelling; be it around the U.K. or Europe.
Last night we watched the film âMy year at Oxfordâ. Some of the scenery âtook me backâ to my time there. The storyline was predictable though.
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There is a knock on the door.
Who can that be on a Sunday? Tradesmenâs entrance as well.
It is Lady Cornelia. She wasnât expected until tomorrow.
What a delight.
I took off her baggage. Always too much in a way, but a pretty sight to see.
Rather petite one would say. Just as I imagined..
I shall take her upstairs and show her to her room.
I hope she is happy with the other ladies.
Oh! I did not mention. Lady Cornelia is a little 0.4.0 Peckett W4 locomotive.
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A Chicago Landmark, for me anyway, were this pair of bascule bridges on the B&O CT and the St. Charles Air Line just south of Union Station. Last time I was in Chicago I was close to the bridges (at the Amtrak coach yard) and I could still see the American Bridge stenciling you can see here on the girder portion of the approach:
Bascule Chicago B&OCT by Edmund, on Flickr
Thereâs just something about all that lattice work and mechanical engineering there that is truly inspiring.
Bascule Chicago 3 by Edmund, on Flickr
Clever how the âpigeon holesâ could be filled in as the counterweight needed to be rebalanced.
Bascule Chicago B&OCT by Edmund, on Flickr
Iâve been busy with a lot of tree work lately. Felling several large elm trees that have succumbed to the old Dutch disease. Iâve got enough firewood for the next three seasons, at least! Contemplating buying a battery chain saw (Howmus* would be proud) for limbing. There are a lot of choices out there and the Stihl is looking good (my other two saws are Stihl and I wouldnât give them up!). Elm is a bugger to split but I make do with my vintage, low budget âHuskyâ log splitter. I put an 8 hp Honda engine on it (compliments of GE) and it never fails to start!
It may be a steamy, muggy August here but the Old Farmerâs Almanac is predicting a nasty winter! Iâm ready 
- Ray Howard, an enthusiast for solar and battery power. RIP Ray!
Cheers, Ed
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There sure is, Ed.
Paul.
I visited the Aln Valley Railway on Saturday 16th - working on the Miniature Railway there.
A certain amount of upgrading to the Trackwork, is required.
This photo shows the Platform Footbridge, made to look like the classic North Eastern Railway style - in the far distance at the Platform ends.
Ex National Coal Board (NCB) No. 60 is running around her Train of 2 Carriages, which has just returned from the Halt at Cawledge Viaduct.
NCB No. 60 is a J94 class, also known as the WD Austerity 0-6-0ST Steam locomotive
Designer by R.A. Riddles for the War Department during WW2 and she was built by the Hunslet Engine Company, Leeds in West Yorkshire.
Driver diameter is 4â 3", Boiler pressure 170 psi, 2 Inside Cylinders 18" Ă 26" and the Valve gear is Stephenson with Slide Valves
NCB No. 60 worked at Philadelphia Colliery in County Durham. This colliery was part of the National Coal Boardâs Northern Division and was known for its extensive use of industrial steam locomotives for shunting and hauling coal wagons.
When I saw her I knew immediately she was from Philadelphia Colliery, because of the profile of her Cab corners and roof - just like the famous âLambtonâ tanks.
After her working life at Philadelphia, No.60 was preserved and has since appeared on various heritage (tourist) railways.
Paul.
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Is that what those holes are for? Thereâs a minor mystery solved! Thank you!
Good Clevelanders enjoy seeing bascule bridges anywhereâit makes us feel weâre home.
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Hi everyone. Chloe, can I get a slice of apple pie please? Thanks.
Youngest daughter having a rough time at university. Just the transition to being away from home, away from us and the dogs, and away from her boyfriend. I didnât think it would be a silky smooth transition for her, but she is my tougher one so I didnât think it would be as bad as itâs been. These are the most frustrating days. Hopefully it gets easier for her soon.
Bascule bridges. The thought occured to me looking at Edâs photo, how did they build them? Clearly they are designed to raise up to clear the way for boats to go through, but they donât pop up in a day. Had to have taken quite a lot of planning and coordination among various affected parties.
Iâll say. We had a Siberian Elm taken down before it fell on our neighborâs house. I kept the wood from it thinking I could hand split it like I did with the three ash trees we had removed at our old house. What a shock it was trying to split it by hand. Talk about an exercise in futility! Oh, and youâre right. Ray would be proud!
I think that was all the rage back then. We are paying the price here in the U.S. of decades of pushing kids toward college and not encouraging working in the trades. My employer used to pride themselves on training apprentices in our in-house maintenance department, partly to ensure the crafts actually knew what they were doing with our equipment. We havenât had an apprentice in years now and itâs getting harder and harder to find qualified crafts as we have people leave.
This now gone layout was an inspiration in my youth, and the only other real layout Iâve seen in person. They may very well have had every kind of railroad bridge as part of the layout, including an actual functional suspension bridge at the 2:09 mark.
My grandpa used to take me here when I was visiting their house. I just found a commorative train car custom made for them on ebay. I had to have it. The commemoration year (1986) could very well have been the first year I visited the place. I miss those days.
Hope everyone has a peaceful, restful Sunday.
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Good morning from a much dryer West coast after 40 hours of torrential rain and wind.
Had a 24" tree come down half way across the road and thought Iâll pull it off when the rain stops. It is big enough that anyone should be able to easily notice it and avoid it. Apparently not! Who knows what this young lady was looking at when she nailed it with her Honda and removed her RF wheel and suspension assembly.
Do you have to be a really fat pigeon to qualify for the job? 
I remember Ray and his solar adventures right from the get-go when he started investigating getting panels put on his roof. We had a lot of discussions about kidâs living in less than ideal situations at home. He was a good person and I miss him.
My son and his wife sold their place in big town and have bought a place out this way. Good bye city life for them. They said it was an experience but not one they wish to repeat. They didnât want their future kidâs thinking a playground in the city was what adventure is all about. The apples donât fall far from the tree. They take possession of the new joint Sept 29th so they are here until then.
My daughter is well entrenched in her Government job in Forensic Archeology. I think she will be with us for a while as the dogs are her life outside of work and having one on her own just does not work with her hours.
Time to get out for a scoot, I have been slacking off over the summer as I have had so much going on and I had injured my achilles. The change in how I feel is really noticeable as are things like HR/BP and VO2max. I donât intend to let the old man in. Give me two weeks and Iâll be back to where I should be.
With my wife away my D-I-L has been doing the cooking. WOW! Is all I can say. Who knew?
Nice to be able to drop in here for a cuppa.
All the best to all.
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Thanks Batman, it is always good to hear Gordon Lightfoot. Iâve admired his Musicianship, Songwriting and Singing, from back when I was still at big school, in the late 1960s.
Back then, BBC radio was archaic and there were only a few DJs who played music from outside of the mainstream box.
Regards, Paul.
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Hi Water Level Route,
I agree with you and Bear, about the foolish demise of Apprenticeships and pushing young people into Further Education under the auspices - âmust have a Uni degreeâ when in fact the jobs they ended up in, did not require one.
This happened in the UK during the 1980s and 90s, until the Government âThink-Tanksâ woke up, around 2000 and created, âModern Apprenticeshipsâ.
That Layout on YouTube was great to watch and it is a shame it is no more.
The location âKalamazooâ reminded me of a song I have always liked,
Hoyt Axton â Della And The Dealer - YouTube
Cheers, Paul.
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Got a big olâ bowl of chili and some beer. Kind of bummed the Steelers lost last night but itâs a preseason game so it donât really matter all that much. Those are more for the rookies to get some playing time under their belts and to try to land a roster spot. Kind of mixed feelings. On the one hand Iâm glad football seasonâs starting back up but on the other the beginning of football season means summer is winding down which sucks because summer is my favorite time of year.
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