a picture a day....

For today:  " A great day for coffee and ice cream!"

@FECRailroaddog posted:

Thanks, I work for FEC Railroad Police, retired from the City and was lucky they had an opening and jumped on board, only 10 Agents in the whole state, so I lucked out.

Indeed, sounds like a great 2nd career... I have two brothers, retired from the city,, 1 pd, the other FD.  and are in Flagler Beach, Henry Flagler, the founder of FEC...

I'm still up north, can't handle the traffic in FL...(LOL) 😃

@FECRailroaddog posted:

Thanks Coach Joe, 50% of my structures, sidewalks, and walls are made from Styrene with Clever Models printouts. I download the files and print them on vinyl and stick them on. They have a large selection of buildings and textures.

What are you using for vinyl printing paper?  I love Clever models. have you looked into Model Builder Software, from Evans Designs..  Another great product... for structures, signs etc...

More Ice Cream, after school'... AT Hammies...Homework later'... 🍦🍨🍧

Man Fishing or Bear fishing for a man?

@leapinlarry posted:

P51 Lee, awesome pictures of real diesels in action, your location where you live has some great photo settings. Wow. The stage is set, all you need is the camera. Thanks for sharing all of these neat trains. I envy where you live.

Larry, thanks!

The winters can get trying but this time of year and it can be great. And yes, there are LOTS of trains here.

I took this at the same time as those last last shots. Nitice these cars and being switched with no air hooked up and one car had the hand brake on! Hey, two SD40s and a SD60 can easily slide them anyway!

https://youtu.be/yCcjBMBOXyI

This explains the flat spots you hear when trains pass...

     'The Comfort of a Small Town'

Ted, amazing scenery on your layout...the lumber in the back of the pick-up is worth a ton these days with prices still moving up

That's the same truck as Sanford and Son, awesome scene.. horse and buggy are really cool too!

Muscle cars are my favorite, made this dealership with my grandsons name, since he loves his hot wheels..

For today: " View from my office window."

Back  street of my town. They are using a pickup to collect the trash.

Super, John!

Thanks Mark. You guys opinion  means a lot.

Farmer John - WOW!  AWESOME!!!  Looks fabulous!!

Well when you have been away from the computer for a couple day and only commenting from the cellphone you don't always get to everything. But I sure am glad I looked here this morning as it really makes my day to see all the great photos of everyones wonderful layout and the real trains that prove how you all are bringing your layouts to real life!

A couple things, Patrick and Ted, between you 2 I really want some ice cream, but the wife says I cant have it for breakfast! Eggs and Bacon I guess! LOL

FarmerJohn, I could spend days on end just looking over your layout trying to soak in all the amazing detail!

Larry and Lee, Keep the real train photos coming!

I sure hope your all having a great weekend and are having fun!

You are right, Mike.  You miss a lot only looking in the smart phone!  There are truly fantastic photographs here, both model and prototype.

All of the above recent photos are gorgeous.

Arnold

For today:  "In honor of yesterday's Kentucky Derby .... It's on to the Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore!"  Today I roll the hands of time back to 1950 when BL2s were relatively new, and race horses traveled by passenger train in special cars designed to carry race horses.  Well, I couldn't afford a model horse car ( Sunset models made some. ) so I improvised and just used a MTH Premier WM baggage car which is close enough to create these scenes.  

The engine crew of Western Maryland's new BL2 salutes the winner!  Word is that engineer Willy Doppler won $2,000 betting on the Derby winner yesterday.   That's a tidy little sum that makes a lot of cents in 1950 dollars.  Conductor Clem Coogle lost his shirt at the track yesterday.  He will have a lot of splainin to do when the Mrs. finds out! LOL!    Btw -Middleground was the winner of the 1950 Derby.

Middleground draped with blanket.  

Middlegound's trainer, in blue,  whispers " Win the Preakness and I make alot of money" as the owner in white hat looks on while puffing on his pipe.  

@trumpettrain posted:

For today:  "In honor of yesterday's Kentucky Derby .... It's on to the Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore!"  Today I roll the hands of time back to 1950 when BL2s were relatively new, and race horses traveled by passenger train in special cars designed to carry race horses.  Well, I couldn't afford a model horse car ( Sunset models made some. ) so I improvised and just used a MTH Premier WM baggage car which is close enough to create these scenes.  

The engine crew of Western Maryland's new BL2 salutes the winner!  Word is that engineer Willy Doppler won $2,000 betting on the Derby winner yesterday.   That's a tidy little sum that makes a lot of cents in 1950 dollars.  Conductor Clem Coogle lost his shirt at the track yesterday.  He will have a lot of splainin to do when the Mrs. finds out! LOL!    Btw -Middleground was the winner of the 1950 Derby.

Middleground draped with blanket.  

Middlegound's trainer, in blue,  whispers " Win the Preakness and I make alot of money" as the owner in white hat looks on while puffing on his pipe.  

You know Patrick, it is so refreshing that you can take your layout and put a story to it that goes with the real life stories of today! Great Photos!

Just some items that caught my eye as I was wondering around in Spencer N.C. a few years back.

Who took the toilet paper!

@mike g. posted:

You know Patrick, it is so refreshing that you can take your layout and put a story to it that goes with the real life stories of today! Great Photos!

Mike G - I find it to be entertaining to create scenes and stories.  I greatly enjoy the process.  Thanks so very much for your kind words and I'm thrilled  you found my post refreshing.

@Sitka posted:

Who took the toilet paper!

Sitka - The Free State Junction Railway will be happy to help your guy out.   Tell him to sit tight, we are on our way LOL!

Thats a huge roll for a Tiny _ _ _ ! Good one! TrumpTrain

@trumpettrain posted:

Sitka - The Free State Junction Railway will be happy to help your guy out.   Tell him to sit tight, we are on our way LOL!

Patrick, at today's prices, one 2 x 4 8' would exceed the price of 10 rolls of TP and take up a lot less space. Perfect fit on the flatcar!

Hey you guys might appreciate these, while doing an investigation in one of our un-used sidings I found these, some of them had the original red velour seats in them. Notice the POTUS on one of them, I never researched it, but I wonder if it was actually used by the POTUS when they were in service. I have no clue what model, etc. they are maybe you guys do.

For today: " Stocking a Pullman diner."

Chef Boy R. Dee, in white, is checking out the produce.  He's very selective!

Nothing says Pullman like PULLMAN.

Fresh milk delivery and a HUGE pumpkin being brought on board.  

@trumpettrain posted:

For today: " Stocking a Pullman diner."

Chef Boy R. Dee, in white, is checking out the produce.  He's very selective!

Fresh milk delivery and a HUGE pumpkin being brought on board.  

Patrick,

Anyone can take photos of a layout. But you set a scene for your shots, more so than almost anyone else I've ever seen. I love looking at your posts, as it really looks like a smaller version of society at work (and apparently having a great time).

Keep 'em coming and know your work is very well loved!

@p51 posted:

Patrick,

Anyone can take photos of a layout. But you set a scene for your shots, more so than almost anyone else I've ever seen. I love looking at your posts, as it really looks like a smaller version of society at work (and apparently having a great time).

Keep 'em coming and know your work is very well loved!

Lee - I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind words.  I'm truly humbled. Thank you.

For today:  " Boys on bikes down at the rail yard."

Patrick, Excellent photograph as always!  Your boys on bicycles always brings back memories.  We didn’t have a rail yard, but I often watched the B&O trains go by, always getting a wave from the cab and caboose.

Nice photos trumptrain good looking layout!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Patrick, Excellent photograph as always!  Your boys on bicycles always brings back memories.  We didn’t have a rail yard, but I often watched the B&O trains go by, always getting a wave from the cab and caboose.

Thanks so much Mark!   Growing up close to the B&O and having a certain fondness for that road  is something you and I both have in common.  

My inspiration for the photo: The B&O's Patuxent Branch ended at my hometown of Savage, Md.  A way freight served the branch every other week day morning delivering covered hoppers of cement, boxcars, the occasional flat or gon, and open hoppers with coal.   Often when I'd hear the locomotive's horn, I'd quickly mount my bike and off I'd go to the railroad tracks.... sometimes solo and at other times with a friend or two.    One time I even got a cab ride in a GP7.  I got to blow the horn at the Rt 1 grade crossing too!  A BIG deal for an 11 year old kid who loved trains since he was two year old.

@trumpettrain posted:

Thanks so much Mark!   Growing up close to the B&O and having a certain fondness for that road  is something you and I both have in common.  

My inspiration for the photo: The B&O's Patuxent Branch ended at my hometown of Savage, Md.  A way freight served the branch every other week day morning delivering covered hoppers of cement, boxcars, the occasional flat or gon, and open hoppers with coal.   Often when I'd hear the locomotive's horn, I'd quickly mount my bike and off I'd go to the railroad tracks.... sometimes solo and at other times with a friend or two.    One time I even got a cab ride in a GP7.  I got to blow the horn at the Rt 1 grade crossing too!  A BIG deal for an 11 year old kid who loved trains since he was two year old.

Patrick, That was a great experience.  Ours were slowly going uphill or a little faster downhill.

@trumpettrain posted:

One time I even got a cab ride in a GP7.  I got to blow the horn at the Rt 1 grade crossing too!  A BIG deal for an 11 year old kid who loved trains since he was two year old.

Such a shame that these days, that'd never happen. When I was in my teens, I was driving past a business near the (I think it was Family Lines by then, had been SCL and don't think it was CSX yet) mainline which I knew had a spur but never saw anything switching there.

Anyway, I pulled over and watched and the engineer let me into the cab while he switched a car there, then back out to the derail. I walked back to my Suzuki Samurai (I must admit I miss that vehicle) about a quarter a mile away with a giant smile on my face. I have no photos of it as I had no camera with me, but the spur is either gone or too covered with weeds to make it out now (I did look the last time I was there).

@p51 posted:

Such a shame that these days, that'd never happen. When I was in my teens, I was driving past a business near the (I think it was Family Lines by then, had been SCL and don't think it was CSX yet) mainline which I knew had a spur but never saw anything switching there.

Anyway, I pulled over and watched and the engineer let me into the cab while he switched a car there, then back out to the derail. I walked back to my Suzuki Samurai (I must admit I miss that vehicle) about a quarter a mile away with a giant smile on my face. I have no photos of it as I had no camera with me, but the spur is either gone or too covered with weeds to make it out now (I did look the last time I was there).

Very nice story Lee!  I didn't have a camera at that time either ( kids didn't carry camera's around in 1963 ... LOL!...  however you and I both have our experiences vividly etched in our memories and the feelings of being in that locomotive are engrained in our being.  Like you, after hopping of that B&O GP7, I wore an ear to ear grin all the back home!

For today: " It's 1951 .. and a glance down the track reveals an F3 being serviced in the distance.

Patrick, I second what Lee said about your imagery, the combination of your scenery, photography and imagination.  By the way I'm sure the Pullman chef is planning on a few pumpkin pies for dessert.