Photo of the Day...we still have some of it anyway!

Classic Trains General Discussion
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There’s a great story about Roscoe Turner I read in an aviation magazine years back.

When the United States entered World War Two Roscoe learned that friend and fellow racing pilot Jimmy Doolittle had returned to the Army Air Force and had been commissioned a lieutnenant colonel. Roscoe sent him a letter saying “Look Jim, why don’t you put together a squadron of us old racing hands? We’ve forgotten more about flying than these kids coming in will ever know!”

Doolittle relied back, saying this was a new war and a new era, and that old-timers like Roscoe and himself had to step back and let the new generation have their turn, so forget about any special squadron.

Several months later came the Dolittle Raid on Tokyo. When Dolittle returned to the US Roscoe sent him a telegram, and it said…

“YOU S.O.B!” All in good fun, of course!

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For those that missed it in String Lining here is the picture NDG posted regarding the “border fence”.

Iron ore mined in the great Missabe region of Minnesota, hauled ship/rail to Sault St. Marie, Algoma Steel Mills. One of their products is rail as shown in the picture.

Then hauled out West and build the CPR with many prairie branch lines to every farm community in Saskatcewan and Alberta which produced enough wheat to feed the world and build a nation.

Then the rail is all ripped up because suddenly branch lines are a dumb idea. Then sold to the USA which uses them as a deterrent to vehicle traffic running in drugs, especially Quads and dune buggies things, along the border with Mexico.

How all this happens, came about, occurs today, where we are, all of that is mind boggling.

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Note Algoma Steel stamping on the rails in the above photo. 80#, but year is cut off In photo.

Here is the second, or front half of that panoramic photo with the CPR Canadian at the station in Schrieber, Ont. Now we can see the units, all multimark scheme. More of the yard, still with all CPR cars only. Lots of newsprint cars as big paper mill right there. 3 paint schemes, block, script and the multimark.

Good size string of stockcars as well with what appears to be the newer double deck one’s on the far left.

Late 60’s early '70’s pretty vibrant times, everything going nicely, taxes low, lots of work for those that want to. Pre Oil crisis, but maybe the very start of “globalization”. These were good times for the Mining Industry…has never been the same since.

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Also please note in the above photo the lack of graffiti anywhere. If you went in and spray painted those boxcars, or the station or anything else in town you would be found and caught, pay to fix it and spend time in jail or juevey, scare the beejjeesus out of you and have a record. Also lack of junk and litter anywhere. “Don’t be a litterbug” promo worked really well, Millenium generation worst litterbugs, along with overall declining enforcements and no body care’s attitudes.

I simply do not get it.

You know a lot of folks smoked back then, very acceptable, common, yet you rarely saw a cigarette butt on the street or all over the place. Friends, acquaintances, offered each other smokes all the time, stop and chat. If you saw a cigarette butt you would point it out and go make a tsk tsk sound and probably clean it up yourself. Sidewalks were clean, Wayne cleaned the curbs. Here comes Wayne! Is Wayne still out there? Sometimes at least? Even public drinking fountains…nice ones.

Note also the people of Schrieber liked hanging their laundry out to dry, …certainly rarely see that anymore and many townships and development’s won’t let you hang out your laundry anymore.

Pourquoi?

Sometimes I see on the news Americans cannot even fly the American Flag on their own property. What? Huh? Eh?

Some idiotic condo association or something says it’s against the rules?

After 911 I flew my American Flag for a year from my porch, high up, dead centre. First thing I did, instinctively. Never had any problems at all and my American friends visiting, mostly Port Huron NTrak guys appreciated it.

Folks in the North, like Schrieber, are very hearty. Long way to anywhere, long cold snowy winters, few entertainment choices …hockey and curling in the winter and it didn’t cost anything near, not even adjusted, as to what it is today. “User” fees for everything. A hockey stick was $7

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZdvwYPzItA&t=27m53s

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Wow, lot’s and lot’s of neat stuff here! I hope and pray we can avoid WWIII. I’m scared to death that the Looney Toon Administration in DC Comics might be the one to push the pretty red button first. However, the entire planet is going to hell in a hurry. Gads guys and gals, what’s the rush?

Everyone who is Everywhere West and Everywhere Else have a Blessed and Happy Easter as we remember the True Meaning of this special and unique event that took place some 2000 years ago. I won’t preach any Old Time Religion. I let the good folks who run the Railroad Evangelist Association do that.

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One of my very favorite books when I was young was the saga of the Ruptured Duck in “Thirty Seconds over Tokyo”. Oddly enough, I have never seen the movie.

I am still delighted that we were a nation that could build an aircraft like a B25 and then figure how to launch it reliably with a full warload off a carrier. And that we had the restraint not to engage in a decapitation strike or hit “propaganda” historical targets for vengeance.

68

Have a question regarding today’s Photo of the Day, featuring B&O P-6 Pacific on the BR&P at Du Bois, Pa.

The tracks are elevated a bit and running across some kind concrete things witha very wide spacing. What is this for?

Q2- Photo is Sept.'55 …Was the BR&P the last bastion of B&O passenger steam?

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I have a suspicion this is a photographic ‘artifact’. What I think you are seeing is rods or connections from the interlocking tower, on supports, well to the photographer’s side of the actual ‘track structure’ which is normal ties and ballast on grade.

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Ah ha! An optical illusion of sorts. Makes sense.

Thank you RME.

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http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=14&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services

https://ia601208.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/9/items/marylandtamsjour33n0mary/marylandtamsjour33n0mary_jp2.zip&file=marylandtamsjour33n0mary_jp2/marylandtamsjour33n0mary_0004.jp2&scale=2&rotate=0

http://www.rupturedducknoseart.com/

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RME, if you ever get the chance to see “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” don’t pass it up! It’s a fine, fine film, one of the few made during World War Two that holds up well. A great human story, with little to no “slam-bang” over-heroics and a minimum of propaganda. A great story well told.

I’ve got the book as well, and I can’t say one’s better than the other, they complement each other beautifully.

Interestingly, Dolittle’s first aircraft choice for the mission was the Douglas B-23, a rather obscure bomber to us now, not many were built. It was a bit faster than the B-25 (not by much) and had a longer range. However, it had a wider wingspan than the B-25 and wouldn’t fit on a carrier deck, so they went with the B-25, which was an all-around better performer at any rate.

The B-23 was popular after the war for conversion into executive transports, so quite a few survived in flying condition for many years. I don’t know if any are flying today, but there are some in museums.

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The BR&P was one of several last bastions of B&O steam. Passenger service on this line ended later in 1955. Steam was also used on the B&O line between Pittsburgh-Wheeling-Columbus and Cincinnati up until its demise in mid 1956. The CINCINNATIAN (Detroit-Cincinnati) had occasional steam until very early in 1957. The North Vernon-Louisville branch also saw occasional steam but I am not sure when it ended.

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I saw a Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg lantern for sale at a hobby shop about three years ago but passed on it. The price was pretty reasonable too.

Absorbed into the B&O in 1932? I should have grabbed that lantern, dammit!

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Bill613a- Thank you. Did some more digging and research. The train in that picture was the last of the passenger service on the old BR&P and it only had a month to go with all passenger ending in October on the line.

A very handsome railroad indeed, many stations and towers had that flared roof…seen throughout the system.

Too bad…how about an alternative history where it evolved into a high speed passenger line Rochester-Buffalo-Pittsburgh. Folks waving, as they whiz by, to the frustrated and terrified drivers on the interstate desperately trying to avoid all the big rigs and crazy texters.

76

Found some pictures and narratives of that CNR train from Hamilton to Port Rowan that I took with my grandma for several summers, as I related earlier in the thread. Cannot believe my good fortune in finding these. E-10-a class Mogul 80 (ex 902 nee GTR 1000 CLC 913 1910)

sits with its short train (Mixed 233) in James Street station in Hamilton.
This Daily Except Sunday Mixed train would continue running until
Saturday, October 26, 1957 when Ten-Wheeler 1541 would make the last run.
One of seven 2-6-0’s assigned to the old Great Western roundhouse nearby
for use on branchlines to the southwest ending at Lake Erie.

After street running on Ferguson Avenue a stiff grade up the Niagara Escarpment (a.k.a. Hamilton mountain) will challenge
the tiny Mogul with its small train. The Simcoe wayfreight and other freights each with a sister engine will get a big Mikado
to assist it up grade on the Hagersville Subdivision 12 miles to Glanford or 17 miles to Caledonia.

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I can smell the fresh air blowing off the beach mixed with the smell of Fries, Malt Vinegar, Burgers and hear all the kids on the beach.

All rails are long gone, tore up, nothing left. CPR went here also, coming down from Brantford on the Lake Erie and Northern Interurban, and yet another CNR branch paralleling the LE&N up to Brantford. Everything is gone. Port Dover is a biker town today, every Friday the 13th thousands of motorcycles converge on the town. Good for business, but I shake my head.

Sitting with its short train at Port Dover. From here it is back to Hamilton.

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Have to love the internet, at times anyway.

Found a colour picture of those little Moguls that plied the rails between Hamilton and Port Dover, and next to the Lake Erie and Northern to boot. Caption states it’s a Grand River Railroad interurban at the LE&N station in Port Dover. Both the GRR and the LE&N were part of CPR’s electric lines.

CNR 83 leaving Port Dover with Mixed 235 for Hamilton passes
GRR 624 interurban car about to leave LE&N station for Brantford. April 8,1955 J.Wm.Hood

80

In today’s Photo of the Day, 5/30, you can see the dispatchers phone through the window of the station.

Does that bring back memories. In the early 60’s I had one of those "Rocket Radio’ crystal radio sets with the aligator clip you had to fasten to something to get a ground. I was running around all over the place looking for things to hook up to when I dicovered the wire on the folding mount for the dispatchers phone. That worked like nothing else I ever tried!

Great memory!

Bruce