a picture a day....

For today: " Rufus Quigly, the Yardmaster waves hello." 

The three staggered photos on the wall tell a familiar story: waiting for a train.

Top left, seven year old gazer posed on the Rock Island Line, followed by train-in-sight and at the bottom-right the Imperial is bearing down on us:

The cowboy was Buster Holt and he was showing us where his horse had bucked-off the edge and into Grand Canyon.

Just added some shrubs under the railing. 

BAR GP7 #63 posted:

                    Johan, way to C O O L shot of your vintage switchers! Thanks for posting.

PAUL ROMANO posted:

BAR GP7 #63 posted:

                    Johan, way to C O O L shot of your vintage switchers! Thanks for posting.

Paul. Thank you. I am glad you like them. They are Shark Bay Railroad Alco HH660 #150 Anchor & Shark Bay Terminal FM H10-44 #250 Chum.

Johan

HudsonORailRoader posted:

Just added some shrubs under the railing. 

Very nice, simple yet so realistic, well done

Great photos of your layouts everyone! Keep them coming as they give some great ideas!

For today:  " A Pennsy A5 just passing through the station with bell clanging.  Only one person turns to notice as steam locomotives are still a daily part of everyday life in 1949." 

NYS&W Train #SU100 at Beaver Lake, NJ. Ex- BN SD45 #6364 leads three more SD45s. Feb.86' 

                                                                         MY PHOTO

  Hotel Charles

The Birthplace of Basketball, Springfield, MA

The darned thing won't start!!!!!!

Here is the problem around the Leonardtown and Savannah...Governor Kemp just closed Georgia and required all the restaurants and bars to shutter and folks to eat at home.  Well what are we going to do with a Refer full of Blue Bell Ice Cream - we can't take it back to Texas! ... So we decided to give our neighbors and friends a treat and distribute it to the neighborhoods via the "ICE CREAM MAN" trucks that ply the streets.  The kids are gonna love this!!

Keep healthy everyone - we will get through this

Don McErlean

The BR&P tower at Falls Creek, Pa. PRR Low Grade is the other track.

I took the pics in '99.

For today: " Out of the tunnel and over the bridge."

A view of the city of Christopolis in the distance over the scrap yard.

geysergazer posted:

The BR&P tower at Falls Creek, Pa. PRR Low Grade is the other track.

         

I took the pics in '99.

         

Lew, Great photographs!!  I knew I should know where Falls Creek is, but couldn't place it until I looked it up on Google Maps.  Just outside of DuBois!!!  What is wrong with me that I couldn't remember?????

PS:  DuBois is the French version of my family name!  It means "of the woods or forest"  

Mark, that makes me wonder how Boyce Park got it's name. It sure is woods. But I'm pretty sure Boyce Road (which runs through it) is much older than the park. Huh. Maybe that is how the road was named: road in the woods.

I sure wish that tower could have been saved and re-purposed because of the interesting architecture but like so much stuff it was simply discarded and forgotten once it's original purpose was fulfilled.

For today:  " B&O wagon tops!" 

Doing some work on my layout, day time pic and night pic.

One from the archives:

p51 posted:

What a great photo and terrific scene

Alco 420's

Alco HH660 #150 Anchor.

For today: " Racoon Heaven!" 

For today: "  Brakeman Willy Karns works the yard."

Great pictures guys...seems like one of my "new" things to do during the shelter at home is to look at all the great pictures, makes me realize that under more normal circumstances I should have slowed down and looked   Bill T...what a great picture, your blending that (what I think is ?) an American Flyer station with what seems to be (based on the track) an O'gauge layout is really masterful.  It looks terriffic, I really loved the giant clock!  Great job.

Trumptrain: Great picture but it shows one of my beloved Model A Ford trucks on the way to the scrapper! 

Sidehack :  Super realism...candidly I am still not sure whether this is a model train picture or the real thing.

Here is my contribution today and the back story:

Its late in the War, likely 43-44, and the Leonardtown and Savannah, due to War Production Board rules, can't get enough diesels to handle all its work so it has positioned what it can get on the main line runs to Macon and Atlanta...The routine chores of commuter trains from Small Town to Downtown Savannah and the Port are still being handled (most days) by steam.  So here is a picture of one of the "old faithfuls" and ex - NKP steamer (now working the L&S on long term lease for the duration)  pulling the string of Harrimans out of the Savannah depot and starting its weekend duties...although being Sunday, the schedule is a lot less demanding than will be the case tomorrow morning!  However it will position the engine and train overnight in Small Town for the Monday morning rush.  Old Joe, the 50 year man who is hostler on this engine, lives in Small Town with his family, so he loves this run - he gets Sunday night at home and he knows Martha has dinner ready!

Happy Sunday folks

Don McErlean

For today: " Two cars left the track." 

              Patrick,  recovery team is on the way...

Brian, I'm glad to see that CSX is coming to the aid of Pat's CSW predecessor Western Maryland!!

trumptrain posted:

For today: " Two cars left the track." 

Patrick, at least your wreck wasn't this bad:

"Timesaver", eh? That boxcar isn't saving anyone any time though, is it?

We visited this wreck-site on the B&O Buffalo line c. '62-'65.

Lew - that is one sad looking wreck.  I only saw the aftermath of a train wreck once in my life.  I was touring with my group and we had just played a concert at the Myrna Loy Center in Helena MT the night before.  Next morning, upon leaving for our next destination,  we drove by a major Montana Rail Link train wreck.  Scads of freight  cars were strewn all over the place and laying on their sides.    Yes luckily my derailment was just a derailment not a train wreck.   Thanks for sharing your pics! 

Here is a helicopter view of the wreck which occurred yesterday around 5 p.m. on westbound freight number 119. 

                                     Some pics of the NYS&W Franklin, NJ wreck in March 1987.

                                                                            MY PHOTOS

The waterfront is a busy place today.

I took these yesterday...

For today:  " Waiting for the signal to change ,Western Maryland BL2 hogger hangs out of the cab for a breath of fresh air." 

"A Tale of Two Cities"

Green River, Wyoming on the UP:

280 miles down the Green River is Green River, Utah on the D&RGW.

Fly-over.

Randy Harrison posted:

Fly-over.

Love those A10s "Tank Killers"

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Mark Boyce posted:

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

Mark, I have good memories of both those little towns . Green River, Wy was a great place to watch UP trains. It was the quintessential railroad town. Once upon a time my Brother and I rode 380mi in the back of a '63 Chevy pickup from Grand Canyon, Az to Green River, Ut to catch the Eastbound D&RGW Royal Gorge.

trumptrain posted:

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Patrick, I love this photo! It has a certain familiar feel to it.   

Lew -  I know how you love to capture photos of your trains in the  natural sunlight.  Actually YOU inspired me to do the same!  I took the opportunity yesterday and I really like the result.  I'm hoping to get back in the train room today for some more pics. when the sun moves around to the west.

Love your Green River WY photos!!  I was in Green River WY during the 1990's when on a concert tour with my chamber music group, Monumental Brass.  Sometimes our management  would book us for coast - to -coast tours in the dead of winter.  One particular tour we were on the interstate during a blizzard and Wyoming State Police closed down the interstate  at Green River.  Much to my delight I knew what lay ahead in Green River as we followed the ramp off the interstate and into town!  Once we got settled into a motel, I headed out to eat at a little cafe where a lot of railroaders were eating too.  Then with snow dumping down I made my way to the railroad yard and stood on the elevated crosswalk over the yard.  Snow swirling around me,  standing on that crosswalk I imagined seeing Big Boys, Challengers, and other large steamers of the UP fleet below me..... oh yes, and turbine locomotives too!   Thanks Lew for evoking a great memory! 

geysergazer posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Lew, the Green RiverS photographs look great!

Mark, I have good memories of both those little towns . Green River, Wy was a great place to watch UP trains. It was the quintessential railroad town. Once upon a time my Brother and I rode 380mi in the back of a '63 Chevy pickup from Grand Canyon, Az to Green River, Ut to catch the Eastbound D&RGW Royal Gorge.

Lew, I have decided that this song was written about you!  

Patrick, that is quite a story for all of us Railfans. Several pics I have shared here Dad took standing on that pedestrian bridge over the yard in Green River. We probably ate at the same little Cafe! Dad always asked railroaders where they ate and where they stayed and that is where we would eat and sleep too. Because good quality and inexpensive.

Mark, I love that J. Cash song!  It reminds me of my friend, Jim, who drove OTR trucks for many years. He has one of those big Rand McNally Trucker's Atlases with every road he has driven highlighted. Nearly every road in the whole atlas is highlighted. He has been in every county in the USA including those in Alaska and Hawaii. 

"The Royal Gorge":

On the left, IN Royal Gorge. On the right, climbing towards Tennessee Pass.

The train always stopped for 10min in the Gorge so people could get off and look around. Directly overhead and a thousand feet above was the highway bridge over the Gorge. I have an early childhood memory (age 4) of walking across that bridge and looking straight down through the steel-grate deck. It is a suspension bridge and when a car crossed I remember feeling the bridge bouncing  a bit. 

geysergazer posted:

Mark, I love that J. Cash song!  It reminds me of my friend, Jim, who drove OTR trucks for many years. He has one of those big Rand McNally Trucker's Atlases with every road he has driven highlighted. Nearly every road in the whole atlas is highlighted. He has been in every county in the USA including those in Alaska and Hawaii. 

WOW!!!!!!!

trumptrain posted:

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Pat:

This photo is superb. The effect of what I assume is natural sunlight juxtaposed with the darkening background is striking.

Unloading a 20’ Container in the Valmeyer IL. Caves last Friday 

geysergazer posted:

"The Royal Gorge":

         

On the left, IN Royal Gorge. On the right, climbing towards Tennessee Pass.

The train always stopped for 10min in the Gorge so people could get off and look around. Directly overhead and a thousand feet above was the highway bridge over the Gorge. I have an early childhood memory (age 4) of walking across that bridge and looking straight down through the steel-grate deck. It is a suspension bridge and when a car crossed I remember feeling the bridge bouncing  a bit. 

My wife and I rode that last June, such an amazing ride!

For today: " In the still of the night."

I took this yesterday

Lee, that is a superb photograph!  Catching the engine between the trees is absolutely outstanding!  You don't those trains or trees here in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia!!!

Lee, I agree with Mark. Superb photo. It took split-second timing to get that shot. 

Mark, Lew, thanks for the kind words!

We're having excellent weather this week, and I took the day off from work, to go hang around with a few train fan pals of mine, all keeping our proper distance from each other. We hung around at the end of a bridge just north of Winlock, WA. It's just shy of the crest of the 1% grade on Napavine Hill. Lots of trains coming back and forth. This photo was taken at the second to the last train that I saw before I left.

I just happened to see the Gap in the trees, and tried for the shot. It turned out to be the best one all day.

That was the northbound Amtrak coast starlight. That, the southbound of the same train earlier and the one Cascades train had no passengers to be seen in the Windows.

I got a few other shots on the bridge, but most were uninsupring.

For today: " As the sun rises in Patsburg."

The end of a hard day's work on the Island of Sodor.

"UP, Santa Fe, Rio Grande":

UP Domes from a UP Dome:

Santa Fe Superdome with San Fransisco Peaks in background:

CZ Dome on the Rio Grande:

A busy day on a small railroad!

Just for the Easter holiday without festivities this year...

More photos with natural sunlight:

Just another day in Patsburg: " Clark Kent steps out of phone booth ... man is running late, sees his train coming, thinks " no time for a hot dog now! "

Randy Harrison posted:

trumptrain posted:

For today: " SW1 working the yard just before sundown." 

Pat:

This photo is superb. The effect of what I assume is natural sunlight juxtaposed with the darkening background is striking.

Thanks so much Randy!  I'm having lots of fun exploring with taking photos in natural light with my cell phone. 

Happy Easter!

                      Some additional sun down pre dusk shots'.....

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

                      Some additional sun down pre dusk shots'.....

 

Ted, great lighting effects

 

 

sidehack posted:

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

                      Some additional sun down pre dusk shots'.....

 

Ted, great lighting effects

 

 

 

Thanks Ray, the sun comes through the west side of my basement window around 16:00.  I took these shots a couple years back... It only hits a small area of the layout...  Once the summer sun gets here, 6:AM, on the east side, lights up a good portion of the layout.  I will try and get some Dawn shots''

Took these yesterday

Randy. What a GREAT Castle!!  Did you make that?  Really looks cool.  

Happy Easter

Don McErlean 

The Erie Shore and Ironton over the weekend...

The Erie Lakefront near Cleveland.

The locals wait for a freight to crawl through the cornfields.  Route 4 southbound near Sandusky.

As witnessed by the condition, this rarely used siding near Huron, Ohio is a nice break for many train crews.  They always keep a Caboose pole on hand so they can "wet-a-line".

For today: " Great day for a motorbike ride!" 

Yesterday

REMCO ships out valve order

Coming back from a fishing trip.

Randy Harrison posted:

Coming back from a fishing trip.

Randy, I LOVE this shot!

Prerun inspection before The Mohawk goes out for a run. He always makes sure to check everything out before it goes.

Randy Harrison - What a fabulous water scene.  I have never seen water look so realistic...will you share your secret?

GP7 # 63 - You as well continue to show us how to blend scenery and background and your pictures are so absolutely realistic.

You guys give us all something to shoot for !

Very Respectfully

Don McErlean

Lee:

Thank you VERY much.

Don McErlean posted:

Randy Harrison - What a fabulous water scene.  I have never seen water look so realistic...will you share your secret?

GP7 # 63 - You as well continue to show us how to blend scenery and background and your pictures are so absolutely realistic.

You guys give us all something to shoot for !

Very Respectfully

Don McErlean

Don. Thank you very much. 🤝

Johan 

The grand kids, Mason and Mackenzie helped work on the layout, so I named some of the items on the layout after them.

Junkyard "Mason's Junkyard" and the town "Mackenzieville".  

Randy!  Best water ever apart from the real stuff... which never looks real on a model railroad.

Troy

Don McErlean posted:

Randy Harrison - What a fabulous water scene.  I have never seen water look so realistic...will you share your secret?

 

Very Respectfully

Don McErlean

Don:

Thanks for the compliment. The water is quite easy to do. I learned this from a friend that worked in an architectural model shop.

The underlayment is a piece of Luan plywood that is painted the color/s you want your water to be. I work with spray paints starting with the lightest color (a pale bluish green) for the shallow area around the edge of the lake. Then I follow with a slightly darker green color and shoot over the area to create a "haze" of the color leaving some of the original light color fully visible around the perimeter. Once you have created a haze of the second color, use a more direct spray of the second color. Finally, as water is to appear at its greatest depth, haze on a very dark green followed by a  More direct shot of dark green for the deepest water.  The color of the water gets progressively darker as it gets closer to the center of the lake. Once the paint dries, take a sheet of randomly rippled acrylic (1/8" thick if you can get it. 1/4" thick is more prevalent) and lay it on the painted plywood. there you have your water.

The rippled acrylic is used for simulated glass table tops or replacement inserts for shower stall doors. I get my acrylic from a commercial plastics store store here in East Baltimore. I can buy a 4' x 8' piece and have the store cut it down to either 4' x 4' or 2'x 4' sections for me upon delivery. It depends on how large your project is.

The lake in Trumptrain's layout was made using the above method. We installed Trumptrain's lake so that he could remove it and use it for an access hatch to the center of his layout and mountain.

I took off this week to play it safe and to get some of my early spring stuff done. I took this a couple weeks ago in Shrewsbury. 

For today:  " The end of a long work day calls for a little celebratory libation." 

Here’s some refurbished cars I took in De Soto the other day

The wife wanted me to use her Easter grass to decorate