O Winston Link

Great railroad pictures from O Winston Link.

http://linkmuseum.pastperfect-online.com/37479cgi/mweb.exe?request=random

Today in History.......

Photo: One of the worst, if not the worst, circus wreck ever was the one that occurred to the Walter L. Main Circus at Tyrone, Pa., on 30 May 1893. Fortunately for present day historians, the local photographer was on the scene to record the tragic event. Photo from the P. M. McClintock collection.

The Tyrone Wreck

The engineer of Walter L. Main's Circus train lost his grip on the locomotive when going down the mountain on the Tyrone & Clearfield Railroad Tuesday morning, May 30, 1893, about 5:30 o'clock, and there was a wild ride at flying speed, and then nineteen cars filled with people and animals from all parts of the world leaped from the tracks and were crushed to splinters. Five men were dead and a dozen more badly injured. Lions, tigers, leopards, elephants and beasts from African jungles and Indian plains bellowed, roared, screamed, and either lay helpless with shattered limbs or sprang forth to liberty. Forty-nine horses were killed, others wounded groaned piteously and suffering men cried for help. One lion, a tiger and a panther are still roaming about in the forests.......

For the rest of this story, about 1/3 down, goto.....

http://www.circushistory.org/bandwagon/bw-1967May.htm

Lisa

Top Notch Layout

It's been awhile since I visited Norm Beesky's blog. In my opinion, he is one of the premier O Gauge modelers of our time. Back in March, Norm posted a few videos showcasing his customized Weaver H10 and his newly purchased Lionel "Geeps" equipped with Lionel's new Legacy control system. The sound of the horn on the Geeps is awesome and I love the rail squeal at slow speeds.

Check out the videos:

http://normstrains.blogspot.com/2008/03/weaver-h10-vids.html

and

http://normstrains.blogspot.com/2008/03/legacy-geeps.html


Again, I have no idea what is going on with Bruce's posts but I retyped it. This is easier for one to read.....Lisa

Inside Train Cars

I thought I would do something different. I think looking on the "inside" of these old trains is just as fun. I found some pictures to share. These pictures are from a Canadian site so all these trains are from a Canadian company. Lunch counter car in war service train
[S.l.], Canada
ca. 1918
Photographer: unknown
Subject: Railroads -- Employees / World War, 1914-1918
Image No.: CN003971
CSTMC/CN Collection

Interior view of a Canadian Northern Railway parlour car
Montréal, Québec, Canada
ca.1914
Photographer: unknown
Subject: Railroads -- Passenger-cars / Canadian Northern Railway Company
Image No.: CN000375
CSTMC/CN Collection
Interior of a buffet car of The Ambassador, Central Vermont Railway.
[S.l.], Canada
[n.d.]
Photographer: unknown
Subject: Central Vermont Railway Company / Ambassador (Train) / Railroads -- Passenger-cars
Image No.: CN005687
CSTMC/CN CollectionInterior of the library car
[S.l.], Canada
June 1945
Photographer: unknown
Subject: Libraries / Railroads -- Passenger-cars
Image No.: CN004327
CSTMC/CN Collection
Interior view of steel day coach #4923
[S.l.], Canada
Nov. 1943
Photographer: unknown
Subject: Railroads -- Passenger-cars
Image No.: CN004228
CSTMC/CN Collection


Hope you enjoyed!!
Lisa

Garage Set Up

This is really important and if you can help, please do.


Our first garage workshop for the summer of 2008 will be on Saturday,
June 7 starting at 10:00 am till around 2:00 pm. Plan on working on the
5 Swan modules for wiring and other repairs needed.

Then the next one should be Saturday, June 14 same time and place.

Anyone willing to work on updating the modules should be here.

See ya.
Len

Fox Run

For all of you that will be attending, here is the important information you need to know.

Set up time for Fox Run is 12:00 pm on Saturday, May 31st.
Show timeis 10:00 am till 4:00 pm on Sunday, June 1.

Hope you all have a fun time

Lisa

Tornado in Colorado

Trains are derailed as a tornado passed through Windsor, Colo., Thursday, May 22, 2008 A second tornado touched down in the area near Johnstown, 8 miles southwest of Greeley, the National Weather Service reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries. All of northeastern Colorado was under a tornado watch through Thursday evening, the National Weather Service said.
7:25 a.m. ET, 5/23/08


This is the original website I retrieved the picture from.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24778099


Lisa

A Great Site..

Another great site from Mr. Corley. You must go here...

http://www.2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=31.html

Now you have several options if you want to add this to your lay out.

You can print them out on your "normal" copy paper. This will give you that "flat" look but they can be destroyed very easy. A cheap way to save them, but they will be shiny or glossy, is to buy clear contact paper. Sometimes you can find this at a dollar store and place some of it over your trimmed work. Find a squeegie or something flat that you rub all the air bubbles out. Flip your piece over and do the same thing. Trim the contact paper leaving about 1/4" around the paper. It will look like the item was laminated but much cheaper.

If you choose to use "photo" paper, make sure you let the ink dry over night. These photos can still be stratched if not protected.

Lisa

Philly NRHS

This is a good site to see what Philadelphia NRHS is doing on their website.

Take a look,
Lisa

http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/RPOTW.html

Gantlet Track

I believe it was Rick Moffat was asking about gantlet tracks. Here are three great photos of gantlet tracks at Union, NJ. They are used to give freights clearance to high level platforms. They can also be used on a double track line to cross a bridge that is wide enough for only one tracks. I don't recommend it for our layout.

Best regards, Frank Corley

"Case Closed" Mint Car from Lionel

To all Lionel enthusiasts:

On the Lionel website, Lionel is offering a special run mint car to
celebrate the end of their litigation and emergence from bankruptcy.
This car will be made here in Chesterfield MI and is a limited run. Will
definitely become a high priced collectable. Order yours now! If we
order together, price will be reduced by $10 per car.

Tim Marshbanks



Here is the link to the website:
http://www.lionel.com/clubs/findexother.cfm

Freighthouse Rescue Chugs On...

The Ypsilanti Freighthouse, as part of the Michigan Central Railroad complex, played avital role in the growth and development of the City of Ypsilanti and all of southeastern Michigan. The Michigan Central Railroad (MCRR) completed its first major railroad line in the State from Detroit to Ypsilanti in January 1838, with the first train arriving on February 8. Ypsilanti was founded in 1823 on the Huron River, which provided anabundant source of waterpower. It was the second incorporated village in Michigan and was selected as the terminus of this first rail line because the MCRR, as it pushed the railroad west toward Chicago, viewed it as a location with great potential for growth. http://foyf.org/?page_id=2

Today.....

Sunday, May 18, 2008

BY KHALIL E. HACHEM

The Ann Arbor News

When Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse took over management of the historic structure in Depot Town four years ago, they had hoped to restore the building and reopen it to the public quickly.

But the deterioration of the 129-year-old Freighthouse was worse than predicted, and raising the $365,000 needed to repair the building proved difficult in a slow economy.

Instead of giving up, the Friends have become more resilient. They continued to raise funds and to marshal support for repairing and reopening the building after the city closed it in 2004 over safety concerns.

he Friends already have done some of the repairs, conducted an assessment study and have raised about $80,000, including a $35,000 grant that the state awarded the Freighthouse on May 9. The Friends say they're also confident about getting a $15,000 grant from a General Mills' Hamburger Helper program later this month.

The Friends staged a fundraiser last week at Frenchie's restaurant in Depot Town, attracting more than 600 people and raising another $5,000, said Bonnie Penet, co-chairwoman of the Friends group. Several people pledged to help with the construction, she said.

"The momentum is growing,'' Penet said. "We feel great.''

Linda French, owner of Depot Town's Sidetrack Bar and Grill and a member of the Friends, said funds raised will be used as seed money to apply for grants. "We have a lot of support and we're working together to save the Freighthouse,'' she said.

The group is scheduled to discuss the Freighthouse with the Depot Town Downtown Development Authority this month, she said.

Penet said most of the money raised this year will go toward stopping deterioration of the building. Repairs include regrading the land and replacing deteriorated wood decking to stop water damage to the building, she said.

The city selected the Friends to be caretakers of the Freighthouse in 2004, but that agreement has expired. Mayor Paul Schreiber said the city and the Friends plan to discuss a new agreement in the coming months to save the historic structure.

The Freighthouse was built in 1879 to store railroad shipments. By the 1940s, trucks were replacing the railroads and the Freighthouse was no longer needed. It was acquired by the city in 1979 and has been used for events and gatherings.

The city closed the building in 2004 after learning of its deteriorating condition. A study revealed that $365,000 was needed for critical repairs to obtain a certificate of occupancy. The study also indicated that more than $1 million would still be needed after the building reopens.

"Financial support takes time in this economic climate, but we're positive the doors will open soon,'' Penet said. http://www.mlive.com/annarbor/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1211092811305800.xml&coll=2

Lionel Post War Catalogs Captured Digtially

On my last visit to TCA's National Train Museum I stopped by the museums library and browsed through a book containing a compilation of post war Lionel catalogs. As I was thumbing through the pages, I was trying to imagine being a young boy rifling through the pages back when these catalogs were ho off the press. I guess it was sorts like I used to feel as a boy in the earlie 70's tearing through the toy section of the Sear's Wishbook when it arrived in the mail.

If you have memories of enjoying the Lionel post war catalogs as a child and are kicking yourself because you didn't keep them you'll be happy to learn that a digital archive of all Lionel catalogs from 1945 to 1969 is now available from http://www.hslinc.com/ I received the following press release from HSL containing all the details.

The "Lionel Consumer Catalog Digital Archive 1945 - 1969" is another great digital archive product from HSL! Just released, this officially licensed product of Lionel L.L.C. contains 50 consumer catalogs plus other bonus material that was produced by Lionel during the "post-war" era. All 24 primary catalogs, all 11 accessory catalogs, all HO catalogs, the hard-to-find 1950 "Sorry" catalog, 1953 and 1954 mini catalogs, plus several non-primary catalogs (Lionel-Porter, Lionel-Spear, Raceways, Science, etc.) are included on the CD-ROM. Also, a wonderful introduction written by Bill Schmeelk entitled "Lionel Catalogs 1945 - 1969 -- A Colorful Reflection of Lionel's History" provides the background for this great compilation. The product sells for $50 plus s/h and is available directly from HSL (200 University Park Dr. -- Suite 240, Edwardsville, IL 62025). Order at http://www.hslinc.com/ or 800-779-2802.

This post was originally done by Bruce S. Something weird happened with the blog and I, Lisa, retyped it. :)

So.............

Since you guys are not leaving comments, like I hoped, your just going to keep hearing from me. And since my Daddy likes HO and Grand Trunk that's what you are going to get today!

Enjoy, Lisa

Mrs William Rice (Margaret Norton) was born in Westmeath, Ireland 6 October 1872.

When she was 19 she married in Ireland to William Rice. Rice was to become a shipping clerk with the Grand Trunk Railway in Montréal. After the birth of their first child they moved to Montréal where George Hugh 1 was born on 30 November 1902. Their firstborn had choked to death on a dummy (pacifier) after they settled in Canada.

The family moved from Montréal in 1909 to Spokane, Washington, where William went to work for the Great Northern Railroad as a machinist. Their youngest son Eugene was born on 13 October 1909.

In 1910 William Rice was killed in a train accident; his widow collected a substantial insurance settlement and returned to County Athlone, Ireland with the boys. In 1912 she decided to move back to Spokane and the family (including her other sons Albert, Eric and Arthur) booked passage on the Titanic which they boarded at Queenstown (ticket number 382652 price: £29 2s 6d).

After the collision third class passenger Bertha Mulvihill saw Margaret Rice in the third class area holding Eugene with the rest of the children holding her skirt. The entire family perished.

Margaret's body was recovered (#12) by the MacKay Bennett.

NO. 12. - FEMALE. - ESTIMATED AGE 40. - HAIR. DARK. CLOTHING - Black velvet coat; jacket and skirt; blue cardigan; black apron; black boots and stockings. EFFECTS - Wedding ring; keeper, and another gold; locket and photo; one jet one bead Necklace; gold brooch in bag; £3 in gold; £4 in Irish notes; gold broach; plain gold wag earrings; charm round neck; B. V. M. ; false teeth in upper jaw; £10 note; box pills. PROBABLY THIRD CLASS

12 Female - Height, 5 ft. 5 in.; Weight, 140 lbs. Age, about 40 Hair, black, turning grey Marks, False Upper Teeth Buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax, N.S. Shoes marked "Parsons Sons, Athlone"; medallion round neck marked "B.V.M."; wore wedding ring, keeper and another gold ring; locket and photo; one jet and one bead necklace.

She was identified as Catholic by her rosary and as Margaret Rice by her box of pills prescribed on April 9th 1912. She was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is speculation that her son Eugene may have been the "Unknown Child" hitherto identified as Gösta Pålsson, buried in Halifax.

Notes
1. Contrary to earlier indications, it is now thought that George was to only one of the Rice children to be born in Montréal.

Documents
Record of Bodies and Effects: Passengers and Crew, S.S. Titanic (Public Archives of Nova Scotia) (#12)
List of Bodies Unidentified and Disposition of Same (#12)

From Mr. Corley.......

This is from TCAMG (Train Collectors Association Members Group) website:

Santa Fe Super Chief

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe's Warbonnet color scheme is easily the most recognized corporate logo in the railroad industry. Designed to add a splash of color to the railroad's new streamliners in the 1930's, the design was used through the end of Santa Fe passenger service, and it was later re-introduced for freight service. Through the passenger years, the Santa Fe ads featuring the brightly-colored locomotives appeared monthly in National Geographic, Time, Life and a score of travel and general interest magazines.

But it was in the toy train field that most people encountered the Santa Fe Warbonnet. Lionel and American Flyer had licenses to produce models of the Warbonnet locomotives; Lionel had the O gauge F3 with its bright red nose, and American Flyer made the S gauge ALCO PA with its long, squared-off nose. Unlike the present days of corporate licensing fees, the Santa Fe actually paid Lionel to model the Warbonnet locomotives.

For many years American Flyer Santa Fe diesel models could be seen in the window of the Gilbert Hall of Science in New York City, and hundreds of department store windows across the nation featured Lionel and American Flyer Warbonnets.

The Warbonnet could be seen everywhere. In the Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye motion picture "White Christmas", a cutaway shows a Warbonnet racing along the coast as they travel from Miami to New York, a three-thousand mile continuity error!

When Alco introduced its famous PA diesel locomotive they cut a hole in the back wall of New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and shoved the first fifteen feet of a full-size locomotive right into the banquet room. Headlights blazing, the Warbonnet scheme left no question as to what railroad had purchased the first unit.

Many people steadfastly maintain that Santa Fe's Super Chief, an all stainless steel streamliner running between Chicago and Los Angeles, was America's most famous and finest train, a train with a reputation so fine that Santa Fe refused to let Amtrak continue the name, lest it be spoiled in memory by subsequent service.

The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.

The streamlined Super Chief (assigned train Nos. 17 & 18) was the first diesel-powered, all-Pullman sleeping car train in America, and it eclipsed the Chief as Santa Fe's standard bearer. The extra-fare Super Chief-1 commenced its maiden run from Dearborn Station in Chicago on May 12, 1936. Just over a year later, on May 18, 1937 the much-improved Super Chief-2 traversed the 2,227.3 miles (3,584.5 kilometers) from Los Angeles over recently upgraded tracks in just 39 hours and 49 minutes (averaging 60.8 miles-per-hour (90.0 km/h), often exceeding 100 miles-per-hour in the process).

With only one set of equipment, the train initially operated but once a week from both Chicago and Los Angeles. From that day forward the Super Chief set a new standard for luxury rail travel in America. At the height of its popularity, the trains of the Super Chief would make daily departures from both ends of the line. Adding to the train's mystique were its gourmet meals and Hollywood clientele.

Direct competitors to the Super Chief during its lifetime were the City of Los Angeles, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad, and (to a lesser extent) the Golden State, a streamlined passenger train jointly operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads. Santa Fe's route from Chicago to Los Angeles was the lengthiest of the high-speed, long distance trains of the day, making its way through mostly sparsely populated areas (which enhanced the train's already distinctive aura). The Santa Fe Super Chief was the last passenger train in the United States to carry an all-Pullman consist.

When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's passenger service on May1, 1971 it ended the 35-year run of the Super Chief on the Santa Fe, though Amtrak would continue to use the name for another three years. In 1974 the Santa Fe forced Amtrak to drop the trains name due to a perceived decline in service. Amtrak replaced the train over the same route with its Southwest Limited. Later the Santa Fe compromised with Amtrak and the train became the Southwest Chief in 1984.

Postscript: Marx. They produced the #21 FT in Santa Fe Warbonnet color scheme beginning in 1948. This loco was lithographed tinplate and 1/48 O Gauge in scale. Then in 1952 Marx produced the #1095 plastic E-7 diesel using a simplified Red & Silver Warbonnet colors with yellow markings. The plastic units sold from 1952 thru 1975!!! Twenty three years, Quite a run!!!

Best regards, Frank Corley

Just trying to find.....

I was just trying to find something new to post and then I found this.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbtyUsnrY2I
Make sure you click on the link above.

Many of you will remember when it was beautiful, I do not.

Lisa

Canaan N.H. 1907

On September 15th, 1907, The Quebec and Boston Air Line express, known on the time tables as No. 30 and due here at 3:48 a.m............

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nhchs/Reporter/20Sep1907.html

Remember click on the line above to get to the web site.

Lisa

Have you ever seen this site?

I have come upon this site looking at pictures of Detroit. Of course the Detroit now, not then.

There are several pages, on this site, with TONS of beautiful pictures taken by Shaun O'Boyle. He has only gone where I wish I had ever seen.

Lisa

http://www.oboylephoto.com/trainyard/index.htm

Our home layout photos

I would like to see what our members are up to at home. Anyone have pictures of their layouts or collections that they would care to share with us? Maybe we can inspire each other to start or finish some cool projects. Here are some pics of my layout.

Great BLOG!

This is a great place to communicate in between meetings, to make suggestions and make plans for the club. I'd like to start talking about repair work on the modules. I'd like to figure out what needs to be done so we don't waste time when we finally get a chance to do some work. I apologize for not being at the last couple of meetings so this might have been talked about already, and I know there is a list somewhere, but I don't know where. Here is my list of things that need to be done: Swan corner joint, HO staging (rear track came up as well as lack of jumpers to power the frogs of the crossovers and other turnouts), and the outside main track joint at the mouth of the mountain corner. I know there must be other issues members have with the modules, and I have no idea what needs to be done on the O Scale side(since I don't run there. Come to think of it, there was an issue with a short circuit at Henry Ford Village that was corrected by unplugging Vaugn's corner module, don't know what that was about). Please, feel free to add to the list! I hope to get us prepared for our work sessions so we use our time efficiently to improve the layout so the public can enjoy watching our layout. If we figure out what needs to be done, hopefully we can get all supplies before we start working so we don't need to spend that time going off to buy things for the layout. So what do you all think? I've also got some ideas to add to the layout, but for now I want to focus on getting zero derailments and stalling so operations are as much fun as possible. So what do you all think, is this a good place to discuss this? Otherwise, see you at the May 20th meeting!

As Promised

As promised, here are some more pictures from the Detroit Public Library on Saturday.

Lisa

Lionel Trains

When I was at the Detroit Public Library show I saw this letter from Lionel Trains. I thought I would pass it on to all that could not come.......

Lisa


At Long Last…
Today, May 1, 2008, marks the end of one of the most dramatic and difficult periods in Lionel’s 108 year history. After more than seven long years of legal warfare, a brutal financial restructuring, and a lot of corporate soul searching, Lionel has fully emerged from bankruptcy.

In addition to the settlement with MTH, Lionel’s emergence from bankruptcy has been achieved by paying all of its creditors all of the money they were owed, in addition to interest for all the time during which the company was in bankruptcy. As some of you might know, this is an extremely rare and beneficial outcome for creditors. This great result came at a high cost to Lionel’s pre-bankruptcy owners: Luella Davis, Neil Young, and Dick Kughn. It’s extremely gratifying that all of them will remain involved with the company, along with our new partners at Guggenheim Investment Management LLC, who provided much of the new money necessary for Lionel’s successful exit from bankruptcy.

More than enough has already been written about the lawsuit, and the events that followed, and it has undoubtedly been among the most closely followed and avidly reported civil legal actions in recent years. For me, though, the real story has been how so many people came together to rally around Lionel in one of its greatest hours of crisis.

All model train fans are, by nature, students of history, which offers no greater lesson than the fact that desperate times create opportunities for heroic deeds. Our experience over these past few years has been no exception. As Charles Dickens said so well, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” The resolve of Lionel’s ownership, the inspired and dedicated legal defense by our attorneys, and most of all, the steadfast loyalty and encouragement of our fans, gave all of us who work for Lionel the determination to weather the storm.

In fact, the level of support and encouragement was so great that Lionel managed to do substantially more than just weather the storm. In the past three years, the company’s sales have grown dramatically, and we have been able to create new products, gain a strong foothold in mainstream retail stores, and develop and release the much heralded, Legacy Control System.

I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you for your patience and support throughout this long and arduous process, because the enduring strength of this company is a testament to your understanding and loyalty. Now that Lionel’s legal and bankruptcy issues are finally behind us, we look forward to redoubling our efforts to fulfill our promise to create the best products of which we are capable.

Best Regards,

Jerry Calabrese

Detroit Public Library

Hey guys from Detroit,

Thanks for having us. The DPL is a beautiful place. You can see all the history down every corner. We got to meet young and old alike. I have never seen so many children's eye's get BIG when the saw the modules. It was a great feeling. I know I talked to a man for sometime telling him about the club, which I hope he joins. My Dad, Rick, then talked to him about all the mechanical things a train does.

I was there to set up on Wednesday, April 30th, and I was also there on Sunday, May 3rd. These are some of the pictures I took from Wednesday. I only have so much room on these BLOGS for pictures. So what I will do is add more pictures later. :)

REMEMBER: You can click on the picture to make it bigger but you must click on you "back" arrow or button to get back to this page.

Thanks again Sue and the DPL for letting us share our love with you!

Lisa

New Club Car of the TCA Members Group

Mr. Corley has sent me a link on the New Club Car. Please go here and take a look..

http://www.d-domains.net/tmg/

Mr. Corley states: It is a Rock Island flat with crates with club lettering. Site has photo of car. Some of us (Frank Corley, Tim Mrshbanks, Dave Hunter) ordered the previous car, an Ann Arbor sand hopper.

Lisa