a picture a day....

Slopping the hogs, herding the sheep and milking the cows.

A K-Line, C&O Allegheny leads a long, night-time freight train past Terryville on track #2.

For today: " Holiday break is over.  Back to work!"

"Waiting their turn to unload":

The Pennsy hopper and the BN hopper are stored off-spot and will be moved to the Tipple and Grain Elevator during the next operating session while the B&O hopper and the graffiti-PRR hopper will be picked up and delivered empty to Interchange.

For today:  " N&W Y6b meets a Reading Train Master."

In approximately 5 minutes, we will be arriving at Union Station, Christopolis. Please check the overhead baggage racks for your personal belongings and thank you for riding the Great Northeastern Railway.

Looking downtown from our mountain.  Still have work to do on the roads.

For today: " Remembering the 1950s .... Promptly at 8 am this morning Gordy, the milk man,  steps out of his truck as he makes his daily delivery to Mr. Charles whose waiting on his front porch as usual."

A city street after a snow storm.

For today: " Just another day on the railroad ..... Changing out a set of trucks gone bad on a loaded hopper."

Today's switching-job rolls into Town:

For today: " MOW Caboxcar with Ernie the foreman on the back step."

I haven’t been on the layout in months because I had Covid and Double Pneumonia in both lungs. I’m getting better but still short of breath sometimes. So here one from the Dough Hill archives.

Fun at the swimming hole.

Another muggy summer day on Stoney Creek...

@lee drennen posted:

I haven’t been on the layout in months because I had Covid and Double Pneumonia in both lungs. I’m getting better but still short of breath sometimes. So here one from the Dough Hill archives.

Great picture Lee!!  Got to love a Studebaker and a 57 Ford!    Wishing you a complete and full recovery.

@trumpettrain posted:

Great picture Lee!!  Got to love a Studebaker and a 57 Ford!    Wishing you a complete and full recovery.

Thanks Patrick I’m getting better every day but it’s very slow

@lee drennen posted:

I haven’t been on the layout in months because I had Covid and Double Pneumonia in both lungs. I’m getting better but still short of breath sometimes. So here one from the Dough Hill archives.

I'm glad you are getting better, Lee!!  That sounds like it has been rough!  Nice photograph!

@lee drennen posted:

Thanks Patrick I’m getting better every day but it’s very slow

I have wondered at your absence here and I'm very glad you are here now and recovering. Please give yourself all the time you need.

Mike. Thanks for well wishes and thoughts it was rough but I was not as bad as others who got this I am blessed.

Lew. Thanks and I’m glad to be back probably won’t be as active for a bit I’m still dealing with the post symptoms they think my lungs have tissue damage. No matter how safe you are if your essential worker like me you will get it.

Here’s one I took while dropping a container off at a customer right before I got sick.

Good to see you back Lee, and am glad that you are on the mend.

Mrs. 'Ski and I are both recovering from Covid 19, tested positive on Thanksgiving day. Fortunately we had mild cases and it didn't stop me from working in The WVRR and Christmas Tree layout - just slower. Shortness of breath continues (doc says up to 4 months) and loss of sense of smell and taste "stinks" (LOL). I had to stop my Rheumatoid Arthritis meds for several weeks so pains and stiffness returned, but back on now and feeling better.

Thanks for the pic, that old Ford is one of my favorites. I hope that you get back to the layout more and more - best medicine. When tired and out of breath, reading and participating here is a good escape.

John. Thanks I missed the first 3 weeks of November and really was supposed to stay home one more if I didn’t feel like it which I really didn’t but I missed not working and it was only for 4 days I had to work. My Doctor said the same but because of the Pneumonia I had it may have damage my lungs. I now can just taste Coke now. I work every day but last year I was put on a 8hr work day because of my Arthritis. It’s a push just to work 8 hours after this. I’ll try to get back to layout and other projects I’ve abandoned soon.

For today: " Brand new hoppers derail on the main line."

Working on the docks

Ski, As with Lee I’m glad you folks are getting better!!

Wishing you the best Lee and Ski.

Can't figure this thing out but trying to stay mostly with the layout.     Daughter works at the nursing home and gets tested twice a week with no positives yet .

I didn't  know of how long lasting the effects would last or what they were.  Relax guys and let the healing work.

For today: Just another day on the railroad ....  " Jake the brakeman just pulled the uncoupling bar and the engineer, with hand on the throttle, eases the blue boxcar forward. "

Thanks Mark and Dallas Joe - feeling better & more energetic every day.

Going downstairs later to search for a project, or at least rotate trains between the shelves and layout, and listen, smell and watch them run.

Working Sunday at time-and-a-half catching up from the holiday rush and back-ups at all the other shippers

Here’s another one I took before I got sick. Caught this guy in Venice IL  

Some activity at the North Main Street station...!

One day on the layout

While it makes a pretty picture it is a bit deceiving. This Pic was taken yesterday afternoon after the crew was finished with the day's set-outs and pickups in Town and were headed for Interchange in a shove-move. So this train is actually drifting backwards down grade.

Lew, deceiving or not, that is a great photograph of the action!!

Lew. Looks great and a great candidate for SWSAT

Dallas thanks for the well wishes. You guys are awesome.

For today: " This morning just as the sun was coming up."  This photo uses natural light.  

@trumpettrain posted:

For today: " This morning just as the sun was coming up."

Great look Pat.

This shows how really important lighting can be.

This  past fall I noticed the sun streaming in the windows in the late afternoon and how good the layout looked here.

Thanks for sharing this photo.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Great look Pat.

This shows how really important lighting can be.

This  past fall I noticed the sun streaming in the windows in the late afternoon and how good the layout looked here.

Thanks for sharing this photo.

Thanks so much Dallas!  I began experimenting with natural light photography this past March when staying home due pandemic guidance.    Like you, I noticed the afternoon sun streaming in through the windows and thought why not give natural light photography a try.... so I did.   I was pleased with the results and have many photos taken in natural light.  I love the shadows that natural light creates.