"OUR" PLACE - SEE NEW THREAD!

Classic Trains General Discussion
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G’day Gents (don’t see any Ladies)!

Things were a bit slow this morning, so I took care of some chores that have been piling up at home … never know what the weekends will bring, so best to get rid of the “excess” before Saturday arrives.

Check out the lunch menu … pretty much stays the same, but always fresh!

You newcomers are most welcome and the first one is on the house![tup]

I’m seeing more and more visitors passing up the opportunity to vote … that means perhaps the “opening” thread isn’t getting the point across, or … oh well. Can’t make the horse drink the water, only can lead him to it …[}:)]

Let’s see what the discussions have been since last night:

[quote]
QUOTE: trolleyboy Posted: 14 Apr 2005, 23:43:34
QUOTE: Originally posted by siberianmo
Hey Rob!
Thanx for popping in … we start serving lunch in about an hour from the time you sat on that stool … check out the menu - sandwiches are ample and made from only the freshest lunch meats in town. Cheeses are cut in the back room - need a mask back there, especially with the empty kegs, etc.! Would gag a healthy maggot, someone said one day. Still hungry?

Anyway, that site you mentioned is pretty interesting. What’s your connection with the museum? Sure don’t know why traction, if indeed it’s “classic”, cannot be included in our discussions … GO FOR IT!

Stick around!

Well I don’t generally eat lunch meat the Dr frowns on that but what the hey once in a while won’t kill me much.

Actually this is the museum that the wife and I are card carrying members of. This year is it’s 51st season. Heather’s mom and dad have been members for 32 years and Heathers been there since she could crawl. I’ve been a member for almost 4 years now. I’m on the operating crews I run the cars or conduct. We also help out in the sho

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West Coast S,
My sources says WP # 34 was 2-8-0 consolidation, and I think the Mikados where numbered in the 300’s ? Am I right?
How about branch lines South of Frisco? Or north of SF ? I saw a picture of a small WP train with a Consolidation pulling a combination and a heavyweight on a branch line.
I’ll have a Geary’s Pale Ale if you have any Tom…
Chris

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Hey Chris! Nice to see you again … one Geary’s coming right up … frosty bottle of Ale … delivery just got here from Portland, Maine. Nice choice!

My favorite is Alexander Keith’s Pale Ale from Halifax, Nova Scotia … like it especially while traveling on board the “Ocean,” sitting in the Park Car dome - ummmmm, great way to enjoy a fine brew![;)] As a matter of fact, in about three weeks, I’ll be doing that very thing while heading “home” to see family and friends for our “annual” visit …

Regarding your comments - I’ll keep to tending bar on that one … I really don’t like jumping in when I’m not at all familiar with the subject matter! Best to opine when you understand what’s being discussed - wouldn’t you agree?

Stay awhile![tup][;)]

Tom (Siberianmo)

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One of my favorite Berraisms - “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”

Now, let’s move on to RDCs.

When I was growing up in the frozen north, the Boston and Maine had commuter trains pulled by a fantastic variety of steam locomotives. Then came the diesels and we saw locomotive hauled trains pulled by GP7s and RS3s (I am sure there are a few out there who’ll remember the B&Ms maroon and gold color scheme.) The RDCs came after that, and IIRC, the B&M had the largest fleet of RDCs anywhere.

As a sidebar, Boston and the RDC have a long history as some of the first RDCs ran on the Boston and Albany - they were called “Beeliners.” The New Haven had an extensive fleet of RDCs as well including the “Roger Williams” which had RDC cab units; the “Roger” survived throught the Penn Central days and onto Amtrak. I had the good fortune to have a cab ride on this beast from Boston to Springfield and on to New Haven; an interesting trip. I believe it’s been preserved and is undergoing restoration.

The B&M had all models of RDCs; 1s, 2s,3s,4,s and 9s and they ran all over the system. I’m reaching back again, but IIRC, the RDC4s were the model with the RPO compartment. I rode on one of them on a trip from Vermont back to Boston. The RPO was long gone, but it was interesting to see what had once been there.

The Lexington Branch of the B&M (which is now a !@#$ bicycle path) provided a most interesting RDC trip. The branch’s track was questionable in spots, and the RDC gave the impression of being on boat rolling in a good sea. Once you got off the main line, a ride on the branch became more like a time machine as there were certain crossings that had to be flagged by the train crew and some really interesting stations including a depot with a wooden train shed (Lexington). Many of the buildings along the branch have been saved and are being used for other purposes. The station in Bedford, MA has a B&M RDC on display along with an ongoing project t

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Hey Coalminer - now that’s talkin’ RDC’s![tup][yeah]

I can relate to the B&M’s RDC’s - used to commute in from Melrose, Mass. to North Station back in 1967-70. I lived within walking distance of the station and it was GREAT - those memories of the morning commute really aren’t bad at all - now the trips home - that’s another story!

North Station had a popular “water hole” called the “Iron Horse” - located beneath the “Gahdens.” So, from time to time, I would get “Shanghied” into having “just one more” in that place … always made the next-to-next-to last train home! (Before someone decides that I’m really a “sot,” ain’t true - just would stop off with the “boyz” now and then - a few brews, a trainride - hey - life was good!

Moved down to Dedham and that was the end of my RDC (and “Iron Horse”) days! Left the Bay Area in 1973, not to return again (except for plane changes at Logan on the way to Nova Scotia …).

Now - you just happened to “hit” it right - tonight is pizza night! Yeah - my buddy is a great chef and makes NY style pizza (is there any other kind?) - the best part is that it’s on the house - the first 8 slices that is![:D]

Sorry, the pool tables remain where they are until one minute after noon on Tuesday the 19th … voting closes at noon. [:(] Looks like it’s a “no brainer” for #1 …

Another thing - I’m a bit familiar with Huntington, WVa - used to have “business” on the river back in the late 70’s to mid-80’s … Nice town, great people …

Thanx for coming back and your vote is in the jar …

Check cashing services? Hmmmmmmm - just for “regulars” and buying a round is a great idea![tup]

See ya![tup][[;)]

Tom (Siberianmo)

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Good Morning! Our first Saturday and this place is too quiet … just fed the “juke” with a handful of quarters … got some Johnny Cash playing “Orange Blossom Special.” Think I’ll play a bunch of his songs … just love the lyrics … “Hey Porter” is next … then, “Ride This Train,” then … hey, some Willie Nelson should “work” - “City of New Orleans”![;)]

Okay … so I left off about RDC’s and see no reason why this can’t continue …

BC Rail’s all RDC consist, just has to be a “classic” -

Back in march of 1999, my wife and I, along with another couple, were visiting Vancouver, BC and on what was supposed to be an “off day” - (they do what they want, we do what we want), I looked into booking a trip aboard BC Rail’s “Cariboo Prospector” (that IS the way they spelled it) from North Vancouver to Lillooet, BC. The round trip was to take the entire next day with a 7 AM departure and return at 9 PM.

When the other couple found out what I had in mind, they too wanted to come along. So, I booked the four tickets and off we went.

The consist awaiting us that chilly March morning was four RDC’s - from my pictures, it appears that we had two RDC3’s and two RDC1’s. The livery was the blue/white striped with blue red heralds.

For those who may not know, an RDC3 was designed as a combined passenger, bagage-express, and mail car. Over the years, BC Rail (formerly Pacific Great Eastern Railway) had these cars “rehabed” to provide a food prepration area in the baggage area. The coach portions were outfitted to include swing down tray tables (similar but larger that what the airlines use) along with much more comfortable seating than I recall when commuting aboard the Boston & Maine’s RDC’s back in the 1960’s.

The RDC1 was initially designed to seat 89 passengers. BC Rail’s version appeared to be about the same, but with the upgraded seating.

Our seats were in the RDC3 for both legs of the journey.

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Good afternoon Tom ! Think I’ll just have a Cherry Coke if ya have it. How’s the Polar Express runnin’ ? Nice place you got here, been noticing it lately & saw you guys talking about the Beeliners. Don’t know much about 'em, just that when I was a kid back in the 50’s, my Dad and Mom & I would go to Niagara Falls on his vacation in the summer by train. He worked for the NYC & had the Golden pass, so we rode free I think. We would get on the train in Ashtabula, Oh, where we lived & then get on the Bee line in Bufallo the rest of the way to the falls. As I recall, I just was so fascinated with that ride on the Beeline, I talked about it all the time. It seemed like it was just so fast, boy, I sure loved that. The thing is, when I got older, I could never find out anything about it. I’m pretty sure they were RDC’s or Budd cars though, & they were silver. Wonder if anyone else remembers them. Well, you have a nice day now, I’ll be back if ya lay in the Cherry Coke, & I’ll put in a quarter for the Orange Blossum Special! Thanks, John

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Hello from southwest Misery. I vote for place no.1. Seems like most everyone on this thread is from the east–have to speak up for the midwesterners. I am a volunteer on a tourist railroad and other preservation groups and have liked railroads all 42 years.
I’d like a tall, cold ice water with plenty of lemon, please.

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Seems like we have a nice gathering here on our first Saturday night … since tomorrow is Sunday - “Our Place” will officially be closed - kind of like to keep that day for our faith and our families or to just take that one out of seven days “off”! [^]

But of course you may drop your messages through the mail slot in the door … no problem! I’ll be here bright 'n early on Monday to read 'em all![tup]

Looks like we have an abundance of ladies in the back room - perhaps when the train talk diminishes out here in the bar area, some of the guys will take note![;)]

Hope my ramblings about RDC’s didn’t put any of you to sleep … I could talk the ears off a brass monkey when it comes to that subject.[;)]

Well, let’s see what’s been said …

[#welcome] John! Your Cherry Coke and first refill is on the house! Hope you like bottle

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Guess Im late…

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First rode the RDC’s between N. Vancouver and Prince George when it was still the Pacific Great Eastern. Rode between N. Vancouver and Prince George and North Vancouver and Lillooet sine it became BC Rail. Was always impressed with the crews on the trains. Also rode the RDC’s of the Malahat on Vancouver Island. Fastest trip on RDC’s was on the CN when they operated secondary trains using RDC’s between Toronto and Kingston.
Longest and most enjoyable RDC trip was on Western Pacific between Oakland and Salt Lake City using a single RDC -2 The RDC stopped for every meal and it was mostly WP crews using the car. Most just wanted to sleep and there was plenty of room for that as I was the only paying passenger on the car.
Rode the lone GN RDC between Havre and Great Falls on one occasion. I have both RDC books in my collection and am glad I purchased both.
My favorite cars were the domes and I have the following dome equipped trains to count as those I have ridden. GN EMPIRE BUILDER, NP NORTH COAST LIMITED, CMSTP&P OLYMPIAN HIAWATHA, UP CITY OF PORTLANDand 457-458, AT&SF SUPER CHIEF, EL CAPITAN(HilLevel) CHICAGOAN, KANSAS CITYAN, CB&Q DENVER ZEPHYR, KANSAS CITY ZEPHYR, AMERICAN ROYAL ZEPHYR, TWIN ZEPHYRS, CP CANADIAN, ATLANTIC LIMITED, CN PANORAMA, SUPER CONTINENTAL, SP SAN FRANCISCO CHIEF Ogden - Oakland, SP SAN JOAQUIN DAYLIGHT, SP COAST DAYLIGHT, D&RGW WP CB&Q CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR, D&RGW ROYAL GORGE,
and SCL FLORIDA SPECIAL

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Good morning ya’ll from the sunny south.We are a little far off the beatin path of B&M & Canadian Rail,but love those rdc’s anyway.I got one of those Lionel reproduction CP rdc’s on my roster. One question about them. Could they run as MU"s to provide more power,or were they only set up to run independant of each other??? Oh by the way I’ll just have a cup of "joe."It’s a little too early for the hard stuff. Easter

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Good Morning all - RDCs could mu; saw them that way all the time in Boston. Beeliner was the generic NYC name for Budd RDCs. They were all silver initially, but later had safety stripes painted on them (blcak/white/orange), IIRC. The New Haven called their RDCs “Shoreliners.”

The nickname “Bee Line” was used by several different RRs. One application I remember was on the Reading where they had diesels lettered “Bee Line Service.”

Siberianmo - The Iron Horse - many flashbackst! Back when they had hockey at the “Gahden,” we used to repair there for fortification b4 a game. You needed all the energy you could muster to get up to the cheap seats (all we could afford back then). “Orr shoots, and Esposito scores on the rebound.”

Now since it is Patriots Day and the Towne Team plays at 11:00 a.m., can we crank up the dish and watch the game at lunch?

I am glad to see we have a juke box. Lets see if we can find these tunes - Red Necks, White Sox, and Blue Ribbon Beer, Don’t Rock the Juke Box, Bubba Shot the Juke Box, and Walkin’ After Midnight (of course, any Patsy Cline sides will do).

work safe

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Morning All!
Another Monday - another chance to excel for all of you guys heading off to work![;)] Well, at least is sounds positive …

What a near-perfect weekend, temperature and weather wise for many of us in mid-continent USA - got some outdoor “stuff” taken care of - and just enjoyed it all.

Tomorrow at noon, the vote closes, and “Our Place” will take a definitive shape in the form of a structure we can call our own! [yeah] Is there any doubt, which will “win”? Number one hasn’t even been challenged …

Let’s take a look at what’s been said …

[#welcome]Man of a few words! Late? Hey -we were here … never to late to drop in and share some “classic” trains info … C’mon back … and by the way, you may wi***o take a look at the conversations from our beginnings (page 1) … just so you know what’s been said![tup]

[quote]
QUOTE: passengerfan Posted: 17 Apr 2005, 19:40:02
First rode the RDC’s between N. Vancouver and Prince George when it was still the Pacific Great Eastern. Rode between N. Vancouver and Prince George and North Vancouver and Lillooet sine it became BC Rail. Was always impressed with the crews on the trains. Also rode the RDC’s of the Malahat on Vancouver Island. Fastest trip on RDC’s was on the CN when they operated secondary trains using RDC’s between Toronto and Kingston.
Longest and most enjoyable RDC trip was on Western Pacific between Oakland and Salt Lake City using a single RDC -2 The RDC stopped for every meal and it was mostly WP crews using the car. Most just wanted to sleep and there was plenty of room for that as I was the only paying passenger on the car.
Rode the lone GN RDC between Havre and Great Falls on one occasion. I have both RDC books in my collection and am glad I purcha

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Try this site: http://www.quebecweb.com/beaucerail/
To see an ALCO FA pulling a tourist train on the old Quebec Central. I will ride this train this summer…
Chris

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Chris,

I checked out the site … they don’t show the 2005 schedule. What can you provide regarding the duration of the excursion and scheduling? We’re not really ‘into’ these type trains, but touring Quebec has been something we’ve been talking about for quite a while …

Tom

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Since its a Classic Trains subject matter how about All Puilman trains. I personally have ridden the TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED, BROADWAY LIMITED, CHIEF, SUPER CHIEF, CITY OF LOS ANGELES, FLORIDA SPECIAL and NEW ENGLAND STATES the latter was operating in two sections at Xmas time 1961 one all Coach the other All Pullman. The All Pullman Train I wished I had the pleasure of riding was the ARIZONA LIMITED but it was before my time. I have talked to SP old timers and thirty years after the train ran they still had fond memories of the winter only train.
I have never ridden an All Pullman train outside the US and by the time I rode the CN OCEAN it was coach and first class both.
I always say if I win the lottery I will own my own private car. But I guess that would be just like owning a yacht. Tried that many years ago and found it was a very expensive proposition for the use I actually got out of it. It sure lightened the load on my wallet after I sold it. Maintenance and upkeep doesn’t come cheap and i suspect the same for a private car.

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Tom
Looks like thr schedule is not out yet. I’ll check it out tomorrow.
Chris

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Gotta quit putting my glasses on backwards. Here you go Chris: 4-6-0 #94 powered the final revenue steam operations on the point of the eastbound CZ in 1960.

2-8-2 #334 was used for excursion duty as well until sidelined due to mechanical problems, both engines survive today and #94 was operational until several years ago.

Got me stumped, WP had no branches north or south of SF. Matter of fact they had just two, both nowhere near SF. In that photo is their cantanary wire visible? If so I might have a answer for you.

Well its quiting time, wife gave me the honey do list, so i’d better sign off for today.

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Catanary hmmm my ears just perked up.Would this have been an old Pacific Electric branch?Nothing beats a good interurban story i always say.Speaking of all things electricJust got back from a weekend spent at the museum.Getting the place spruced up for openning day on the 7th of May.Being the consumate railfans that we are we just had to let a couple of the cars out of the barn to play.Operated 2894 for about an hour it’s an Ottawa car company built small Peter Whitt type streetcar from the TTC. I just love running this car nice and smooth.Tom any idea which museums were going to aquire the old PGE RDC’s. I had heard a wild rummour (two years ago) Long story short the city of Toronto wabts to build a direct rail access from TO union to the airport.The plans being kicked arounnd have been anywhere from a subway line($$$ prohibitive) to various surface options up to and including (wait forr it) aquiring some surplus VIA RDC’s. It will be interesting to see what happens. Most people figure it will be a literail electric or a dedicated bus route but who knows those RDC’s may get another kick at the can yet. See you later. Rob