a picture a day....

@Up & Down the Monon posted:

But what about political photos?

Ask the moderators

@Mark Boyce posted:

Ed, great mural on 'The Caboose' building.  Yes Ashland is an interesting railroad town.  I stopped there when we lived in Fredericksburg from '85 to '93.  If Tiny Tim's was there then, I never saw it.  Congratulations on the rare car for your Trump Train.  (Please no political comments.  Any rare car is a great find.)

Tiny Tim's was a forum sponsor for a while!  Make sure that you all take a look at the forum sponsor list as they count on us!

Ed, What a great mural'.. Sounds like a nice little town... Surely a terrific place to visit'... Thanks for posting and the back story too.  😄👍

I was looking for a loco for the halloween layout. I found this suitably melted Marx 400 that runs. A couple of more coats of orange,

some details and should be good to go.

ONLY 6 WEEKS TIL HALLOWEEN.

JOHN

@Mark Boyce posted:

Ed, great mural on 'The Caboose' building.  Yes Ashland is an interesting railroad town.  I stopped there when we lived in Fredericksburg from '85 to '93.  If Tiny Tim's was there then, I never saw it.  Congratulations on the rare car for your Trump Train.  (Please no political comments.  Any rare car is a great find.)

Thanks, Mark. Tiny Tim’s has been there for the last 23 years.

FOR TODAY:  Break time on the B&O ... Ross and JD sit at the picnic table for a sandwich.  Delbert and Sid play checkers.  Johnny sits on a large brick enjoying a cold drink.  Mel with the yellow hard hat looks on and Buford, the foreman in doorway of caboose, is about to yell .. " Off your butts and on your feet!  Out of the shade and in the heat!  Break is now over!!"  

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Ed, What a great mural'.. Sounds like a nice little town... Surely a terrific place to visit'... Thanks for posting and the back story too.  😄👍

Thanks Ted.  To bad the boxcar was deleted...a unique piece of history, for sure. 

@trumpettrain posted:

FOR TODAY:  Break time on the B&O ... Ross and JD sit at the picnic table for a sandwich.  Delbert and Sid play checkers.  Johnny sits on a large brick enjoying a cold drink.  Mel with the yellow hard hat looks on and Buford, the foreman in doorway of caboose, is about to yell .. " Off your butts and on your feet!  Out of the shade and in the heat!  Break is now over!!"  

Really love this one Pat . 👍

The focus is nice .  Seems to be centered on the picnic table area and shows great detail .  The fading focus on this close up scene really brings home a  feeling that you are up close and a part of the crew on break.  When I  paint a canvas I  try to get that feeling .

...............I can hear that #!$?*× Buford  now .............sure could have had Miss Molly yelling out that lunch was ready instead. 😉

Still not finished, but mighty close!

@lee drennen posted:

Here’s today’s for all you Electric Guitar Fans Yesterday I dropped a Overseas Container that was brought in from the CSX train full of Electric Guitars 400 boxes to be exact this place is a Devil to get into.

You are one heck of a driver Lee. 😉

I've watched drivers trying to get backed into doors at a warehouse with fifty feet more room from those bushes in your photo..............and take 30 minutes plus to get lined up.  😖

Here is one from about 2 weeks ago.  The BNSF rolls through Crawford, Texas under a beautiful sunny Texas sky (this is my photo).

Best wishes...OBTW, I timed this fellow with my car, he was doing about 65 mph and had well over 100 cars (mixed types). 3 units all on the front.

Don

.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Really love this one Pat . 👍

The focus is nice .  Seems to be centered on the picnic table area and shows great detail .  The fading focus on this close up scene really brings home a  feeling that you are up close and a part of the crew on break.  When I  paint a canvas I  try to get that feeling .

...............I can hear that #!$?*× Buford  now .............sure could have had Miss Molly yelling out that lunch was ready instead. 😉

Dallas - thanks so much for your kind words!  Much appreciated!  I didn't know that you are a painter.  How wonderful!!

Here is a little something for Patrick,(TRUMPTRAIN).  I know how much he loves the colors of fall'.  I ran across this farm stand and thought of him.  I never seen a yellow and a bunch of other shaped and colors of pumpkins... The green ones look just like a goose'...😁

Ted - thanks so much for thinking of me while at the pumpkin stand!  The variety of pumpkins look awesome!!

@trumpettrain posted:

Ted - thanks so much for thinking of me while at the pumpkin stand!  The variety of pumpkins look awesome!!

Pat, some really crazy pumpkins'... the colors in person are just uncreditable... I knew you'd love it'....

Alan, model-u, will be sending out a new brass band to you this week....

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Pat, some really crazy pumpkins'... the colors in person are just uncreditable... I knew you'd love it'....

Alan, model-u, will be sending out a new brass band to you this week....

Awesome Ted!!!  Thank you so much for the news on the new brass band!!  AND I'll bet those pumpkins looked spectacular up close in person!!

@Dallas Joseph posted:

You are one heck of a driver Lee. 😉

I've watched drivers trying to get backed into doors at a warehouse with fifty feet more room from those bushes in your photo..............and take 30 minutes plus to get lined up.  😖

Thanks for the complement Dallas. This place will separate the Men from the housewives.

FOR TODAY:  A quiet morning on Patsburg Ave.  Ol Jasper Malone has come into town early this morning, parked his pickup truck, and walked down to Ashby & Harrison Hardware Co. to order some supplies for his farm.  Thats Ronnie Claxton standing on the corner all dressed up in his finest suit.  He's waiting for a bus to take him over to the next town for a job interview.  

A Western Maryland passenger train is making a water stop.  While the tender's tank is being filled, mail is being loaded from the RPO car onto an old Ford stake body truck.  Word is that both the new Lionel and American Flyer catalogues are in this shipment of mail.  If that word proves to be true there will be lots of happy little boys in town this weekend ... probably some happy big boys and dads too!!

Morning guys, great photos!

Don I really like your photo of the BNSF engine as most know I am very fond of them! LOL

Ted, wonderful photos of the veggie stand I sure hope you bought something to take home for lunch!

Patrick, outstanding little story. It really brings the photos to life and gives me a nice smile while reading them!

Nothing today from me, but I hope you all have a great day!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Ask the moderators

Good call Mark

@Rob Leese posted:

Still not finished, but mighty close!

Very nice Rob

@trumpettrain posted:

FOR TODAY:  A quiet morning on Patsburg Ave.  Ol Jasper Malone has come into town early this morning, parked his pickup truck, and walked down to Ashby & Harrison Hardware Co. to order some supplies for his farm.  Thats Ronnie Claxton standing on the corner all dressed up in his finest suit.  He's waiting for a bus to take him over to the next town for a job interview.  

A Western Maryland passenger train is making a water stop.  While the tender's tank is being filled, mail is being loaded from the RPO car onto an old Ford stake body truck.  Word is that both the new Lionel and American Flyer catalogues are in this shipment of mail.  If that word proves to be true there will be lots of happy little boys in town this weekend ... probably some happy big boys and dads too!!

Patrick I’m seeing a whole different side of your layout great pic

@lee drennen posted:

Patrick I’m seeing a whole different side of your layout great pic

Thanks so much Lee!

I always thought this would look cool on a layout. Just a building with spare signals it wouldn't take alot of space. The background buiding is an old factory.

mike g.   Thanks for the compliment on my photo.  Crawford is just about 10 miles from my house and the RR parallels a two lane asphalt road for several miles (in Texas they are called "Farm to Market" or FM roads).  I paced the train to satisfy my curiosity as to its speed, then was able to get ahead of him for the picture.  Sorry I can't ID the specific diesels, afraid that is beyond my expertise but all 3 were in the orange / black BNSF livery.

Best wishes

Don

A few more from this morning.

more great photos everyone!

Dave Ripp, thanks for the photo of the signals, it gives me a great idea for all the signals I have that no longer work!

Don, I cant tell either, but I still love the BNSF colors! LOL

mikeg...Love your comment, glad I'm not the only guy who has difficulty telling one diesel from another.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

mikeg...Love your comment, glad I'm not the only guy who has difficulty telling one diesel from another.

Don

LOL Don, I cant tell if its right or legt hand drive! But I know what looks cool to me! LOL

@lee drennen posted:

Good call Mark

Thank you, Lee.  I thought it was the only right answer, and I don’t like to ignore questions directed to me.

Here’s one I took yesterday of one of our drivers in our grain loading but there not loading grain it’s plastic beads

@trumpettrain posted:

Thanks so much Lee!

Your welcome my friend

@trumpettrain posted:

FOR THIS LABOR DAY:  Labor on the railroad is continuous even on Labor Day ... the trains must keep running!  Up on the Mountain Division a way freight makes its' way over the bridge as MOW worker Shorty Long rolls an empty barrel  toward his truck ( not in photo ).   Later Shorty will fill this and many other barrels with used track spikes and plates.

Shay engineer Willy Dee  pushes a string of cars through Butler Junction. Willy sits tall in the cab, extremely proud of his freshly out shopped Shay locomotive.

Boy Pat........

...........this makes " REAL "  look a little too " PLAIN "......

.........and then to make the narative .......nice. 😉

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Jimmy, you are getting there'.. I would recommend a few "Ponderosa Pines" on the top.  O gauge trees on a mountain top as yours would have some tall trees'..  Scenic Express has the best selection of 10, 12, and 15 inch trees... Here's an example... for your reference'... An elevated scene showing the height of  the trees.  Most would agree, you can never have enough trees'...

Where is this little village located  Ted ?

Definitely a homey look 😉  nice work.

Like your advice.🌲

@lee drennen posted:

Here’s one I took yesterday of one of our drivers in our grain loading but there not loading grain it’s plastic beads

Lee, When we lived in Virginia (1985-'93), I recall a place along the old Southern RR (now NS) Alexandria-Charlottesville mainline that made plastic beads for injection molding, I believe.  They had a rail siding and lots of room for gents like you to maneuver big trucks.

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

                      Waiting for the ~ express to New Haven'

              You don't see too many of these anymore'.  And how much                          longer will this be with us, the 64,000 Dollar question'... Built in                1875'..

This might look really good near a HOBO camp Ted. ......

.......maybe part of the HOBO encampment ?  🤔

@Mark Boyce posted:

The switch tower is sad to see, Ted!

Mark........but a good photo for a " weathering  guru "  to have fun with .

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Where is this little village located  Ted ?

Definitely a homey look 😉  nice work.

Like your advice.🌲

Dallas, there is a hamlet just outside of Dover Plains, eastern NY state adjacent to the the Connecticut border.  The hamlet is called Onion Town.  It was developed during the great depression.  It is still active today.  The inhabitants are all poor descendants from that great depression.  The surrounding towns, Armenia, Dover, Millerton, have tried to get rid of them, but they have failed.  The state said they could stay.  The land is owned by the state.  The model is based on the actual hamlet.  My folks had a summer home in the area.  I used to drive by Onion Town on a daily basis.  It is right on Route 22, runs north and south, a two lane highway that will take you all the way to Canada...

@Mark Boyce posted:

Lee, When we lived in Virginia (1985-'93), I recall a place along the old Southern RR (now NS) Alexandria-Charlottesville mainline that made plastic beads for injection molding, I believe.  They had a rail siding and lots of room for gents like you to maneuver big trucks.

That’s sounds neat place Mark. I haul just intermodal Only. We have quite a few of these bulk tankers we were bought out by Dana companies  a few years back. My old boss who started Affton Trucking in 1969 built all of this including laying the tracks that you see and bought that Switcher from Terminal Railroad. Some day I’ll get a pick of the old Southern rail terminal in East St. Louis for you and the gang.