Why a duck?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

BNSF Store ad on page 11 of the July magazine has some interesting merchandise. What caught my eye was the BNSF Duck for $6.99.

Unfortunately, all I find on the website is the Conductor Duck (literally a rubber duckie bath toy). Not that I’m entirely interested in either item (no rugrats or grandrugrats to give to), but an interesting merchandise selection.

Oh, and even though Groucho Marx was associated with ducks, he wasn’t the one to ask, “Why a Duck?” (Even though that was the title of one of his books.)

2

Right. It was Chico. Vy a duck, vy not a chicken. Because there’s water there, that’s vy a duck! COCONUTS 1929

3

[#offtopic]OOORRRRR! MY favorite: The Marx Bros. Duck Soup

or then again, The ARMY DUCK (DUKW)[%-)]:

Or more O/T foolishness![#oops]

The Jeep was originally called the Peep and in some outfits the Dodges were Beeps (for BIG Jeep)

And don’t forget the Amphibious jeep was called a SEEP!

[The voices in my head are making strange requests now(?)[alien][alien]

Why was a GG-1 never a Gee(?). Why is an AEM-7 called a TOASTER ( there is no microwave oven in the cab)

How did the General Porpose-7, and all it’s follow on bretheren, generally, get then name of GEEP(?)

Why Were the SD’s not called Seeps(?) (Was it because they all had a porch down both sides?)

UP’s big turbins cam both with, and without porches.

Was Big Boy originally a descriptive or derogatory term? Was it the same for the UP’s ‘BIG BLOWS’ ?

( What’s THE BEST SHAPE FOR A TINFOIL HAT?)[%-)]

4

Yeah, it was the DUKW.

http://www.bostonducktours.com/duck_history_main.html

5

The GG1’s were referred to as “G’s” or “G-motors”.

The boxy look of the AEM-7’s and their slightly sloped or sculptured ends - together with that mostly aluminum or stainless steel color, and the stripes, etc. - DO make them look like sleek modern-design ‘toasters’ on steroids - just scaled up by about a factor of 30 or 50 or so.

GEnEral Purpose = “GEEP”; I suppose the short-version of the SD’s “Special Duty” would be something like “SPED” ???

I believe “Big Boy” and “Big Blow” were both descriptive and not derogatory, because they generally performed well.

  • Paul North.
6

From Duck Soup: I recommend 10 years in Leavenworth or 11 years in twelveworth. Saw that recently and couldn’t stop laughing…and i am actually more of a Three Stooges fan.

7

Item: Lots of those “Army Ducks” were used over America in small towns, etc…to sell War Bonds. Of course, used to draw the crowds.

8

The same shape as your head? [;)]

9

Actually the GG1 was named based on the fact that the PRR had a 4-6-0 G class steam engine. Hence a 4-6-0+0-6-4 became a GG1.

10

Those who understand cricket will know that to achieve a score of nothing is known as ‘a duck’, for the shape of a figure zero which resembles a duck egg. [:-^]

11

Nobody understands cricket.

12

So what’s to not understand? It’s simple.

They are telling you the temperature! Count the number of chirps in 14 seconds and add 40 to get the ambient temperture in Degrees Fahrenheit.

Of course, if they are not American Crickets then you count the chirps in 25 seconds, divide by 3 and add 4 to get the temperature in Degrees Celcius.

In 1898 Amos Dolbear studied cricket chirp rates and found the timing to be based on the temperature of the crickets environment and came up with the cricket chirping temperature formula known as Dolbear’s Law:

Degrees (F) = 50 + (Chirps per minute - 40) / 4

Again, if listening to non- American here is the Dolbears Law formula for degrees C:

Degrees (C) = 10 + (Chirps per minute - 40) / 7

But be aware that the cricket chirp temperature formula is based on the temperature of the cricket (probably close to the ground) not be the temperature where you are, sitting in your easy chair.

13

How does Eleanor feel now that she has been replaced by a duck?

14

Like certain pets, you let a topic loose and just see where it wanders, I guess.

15

Well most of our former Colonies do. [(-D]

Just take a vacation in India; you will see what I mean.

I guess if your War of Independence had been in the 19th. century you folks Stateside would be playing cricket instead of baseball.[;)]

16

Maybe ducks are the in thing now. My 11 year old just got back from Boy Scout camp. The popular items at the camp souvenir store were rubber duckies… We are now the proud owner of a pirate duck, a Batman duck and a Green Lantern duck. Who knew, that the Green Lantern would someday return to the crime fighting scene…as a duck.

I guess I would have to give credit to the hardworking folks at the Rubber Duckie Anti-defamation League, and the Duckies Unlimited organization. [tup]

17

AND, I GUESS,

HOWARD the DUCK[8D] will allways be just a memory[sigh] in a forgotten movie[zzz]?

Where is RDADL when you really need them??[:-^]