a picture a day....

FOR TODAY:  A view from my office window ... Looks like Ned Healey, in his new 1950 Mercury, is making a right hand turn off Patsburg Ave onto Main Street.   O'l Ned must have seen crossing watchman Biff Curry standing in the middle of Patsburg Ave stopping traffic.  Must be the automatic crossing gate isn't working again.  Hmmmm ... funny that gate frequently keeps going out of service.  It was newly installed three months ago and it seems it goes out of service several times each week.  If I didn't know better I would think o'l Biff  is tampering with mechanicals of that gate to make sure he keeps his job as crossing watchman.  After all, he's been a railroad crossing gate watchman for going on 31 years now and notah  one accident has happened on his watch.  Go figure!  ...just another day on the railroad!

Here’s today’s. This is one of my favorites of the B&W pics I have. The boxcar is a old All Nations and I can’t remember who made the car.

FOR TODAY:  Intersection of Depot Ave and Patsburg Ave in Patsburg, Maryland on a Friday afternoon.

Looking up Railroad st.

FOR TODAY:  Festus Herfurth drags a pallet as Homer John's legs dangle from a NYC boxcar.  As far as they're concerned the day is done!

Here’s today’s. Spotter Pete making his rounds with a old Pre war Lionel Piggyback trailer I custom upgraded  and decaled.

FOR TODAY:  ( I see Lee is back ... good to have you back Lee! ... These pics are for you! )  Twixt the boxcars and trailers moving about .. the team track is busy!  He we see another load of auto frames being driven off to an auto assembly plant.

Buzz Jackson wipes his brow as the process of tansferring the auto frames from boxcar to trailer is about to begin.  Bert Meyers drives his forklift into position and foreman Woody Woodson calculates the time it will take to fill this trailer. ... just another day on the railroad.

@trumpettrain posted:

FOR TODAY:  ( I see Lee is back ... good to have you back Lee! ... These pics are for you! )  Twixt the boxcars and trailers moving about .. the team track is busy!  He we see another load of auto frames being driven off to an auto assembly plant.

Buzz Jackson wipes his brow as the process of tansferring the auto frames from boxcar to trailer is about to begin.  Bert Meyers drives his forklift into position and foreman Woody Woodson calculates the time it will take to fill this trailer. ... just another day on the railroad.

Thanks Patrick I appreciate it my friend. Your pics have inspired me over the years thank you.

Hi guys its been about 3 weeks since my last visit! I can see nothing has changed! You all are still providing outstanding photos of your layots!

@trumpettrain Patrick I see you still have those amazing stories, and I am with Mark what a wonderful tribute to your Dad!

Its nice to see you posting again Lee, it took me a while to catch up with all the photos and stories!

FOR TODAY:  One more work day left this week and these fellers are off to goin feeshin this weekend up on Crater Lake.  That feller dragin the the pallet, Lucky Krestley, caught him a HUGE feesh last weekend!  It grilled up real nice too and made for some dang tasty eatin!   O'l Wig Braumley there a wavin his hat loves to go feeshin but all he ever catches is a gol dang cold!  .... just another day on the railroad!  

FOR TODAY:   MOW Dept. readies the snow fighting equipment for the coming winter.  Kit Kealey kneels down to check moving parts of the Jordan Spreader's left wing as Mack Watson inspects the blade.  Later Crabby Nicely, leaning against the pickup truck,  will work his expert magic on the rotary plow.

The plows have been sitting on this siding all summer as seen here this past July.  

Looks like Mechanical Chief  P. W. Short has arrived and is standing on the  Jordan Spreader's deck wearing his hard hat.  He's wondering when o'l Crabby will "nicely" move his keaster over to the rotary and get to  work.  He yells out to Crabby " Hey Crabby!  It's Friday morning!  You better get your hind parts over there and start inspecting that rotary or you can get down to the payroll office and collect your last pay check by lunch time!"  .... just another day on the railroad!  

Yes, it was 39 degrees here this morning!  It is getting time to start getting things ready for winter maintenance!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Yes, it was 39 degrees here this morning!  It is getting time to start getting things ready for winter maintenance!

Yep Mark, it won't be long before we see the Jordan Spreader doing its' thing!  

FOR TODAY:  We welcome FALL!  ...  As seen this morning on my bike ride!  

Beautiful pictures Patrick with terrific colors! As you know, I enjoy your fictional short stories, but these accentuate the layout to a different level.

Gene

Excellent photographs, Pat!  You did a great job blending in the fall colors.

@Genemed posted:

Beautiful pictures Patrick with terrific colors! As you know, I enjoy your fictional short stories, but these accentuate the layout to a different level.

Gene

Thanks so much Gene!   I'm thrilled you enjoyed the photos!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Excellent photographs, Pat!  You did a great job blending in the fall colors.

Thank you very much Mark!

Busy day at the station

FOR TODAY:  Otto Klemper has just stepped out of his truck and gets ready to light a cigaret.  He knows it will be quite a while before his truck is loaded with potatoes from Maine.  Zig Higgins, on the truck bed,  is trying to position a couple barrels of spuds, however he calls out for help .. " These are some doggone heavy taters!  Somebody please get over here and help me move these barrels!"   Bill Lukens standing on the loading platform fires back at Zig .. " These taters ain't that heavy Zig!  You must have gotten the barrels with the loaded baked potatoes!"  ... just another day on the railroad!

FOR TODAY:  Another on time arrival.  Folks are gathered on the platform as an afternoon Pennsy commuter train glides into the Patsburg Commuter Station.  What?!  No MU cars!  Instead we have a PA 1 leading the consist which is unusual for an afternoon commuter train, but then and again as on any railroad the usual can be the unusual  .... just another day on the railroad!

@trumpettrain posted:

FOR TODAY:  Another on time arrival.  Folks are gathered on the platform as an afternoon Pennsy commuter train glides into the Patsburg Commuter Station.  What?!  No MU cars!  Instead we have a PA 1 leading the consist which is unusual for an afternoon commuter train, but then and again as on any railroad the usual can be the unusual  .... just another day on the railroad!

Patrick, every time I see this scene and the sailors, I think of the movie, "On the Town", released in 1949 with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin. Classic musical!

Great photo!

FOR TODAY:  Monday morning is business as usual.  TOFC train trundles through town.

Switch job entering Butler Junction.

@trumpettrain- Patrick - fabulous pictures I really enjoyed them and the stories about the folks on the RR.

Best Wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@trumpettrain- Patrick - fabulous pictures I really enjoyed them and the stories about the folks on the RR.

Best Wishes

Don

Why thank you so much Don!  I'm thrilled that you like them!

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted pictures on this fun to review thread and I must admit, @trumpettrain , Patrick, wins the honors, his fall scenes, winter scenes, work scenes, passenger station scenes are all beautiful. Our OGR Forum is simply a great place to visit, review beautiful modeling, and forget about the real worlds problems. Here’s some scenes around my layout. Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry posted:

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted pictures on this fun to review thread and I must admit, @trumpettrain , Patrick, wins the honors, his fall scenes, winter scenes, work scenes, passenger station scenes are all beautiful. Our OGR Forum is simply a great place to visit, review beautiful modeling, and forget about the real worlds problems. Here’s some scenes around my layout. Happy Railroading Everyone

Larry ... thank you so much!  I'm genuinely humbled by your generously kind words.    AND yes there are so many wonderfully highly skilled  modelers here on this forum ... you sir are certainly one of them .. thereby certainly making the OGR Forum a great place to visit!!  

FOR TODAY:  The beginning and ....

THE END! ... just another day on the railroad!.

Busy Saturday at the Paradise Depot on a cool and cloudy day.

Southern Pacific about to roll out.

As soon as SP rolls out Santa Fe Chief rolls in.

Great photos everyone! I am so glad you all are willing to take the time to share all your wonderful layouts with the rest of us!

U36B dropping off some freight, have a good Saturday Night.

FOR TODAY:  While folks are having fun boating and swimming on Crater Lake  the train crew of the chartered Western Maryland train which brings folks to and from, is busy preparing the train for the return trip back home.  

Fireman Ziggy Schmuckle, on the tender deck, is about to open the water hatch.  After that he'll pull down the tank's spout and let the water flow!   Once the tender's tank is topped off, Ziggy will let the spout return to the up position,  and head back up to the cab where his lunch pale sits.  Inside the pale sits  two big o'l roast beef sandwiches topped with horseradish, onion, lettuce, and tomato... all sitting between two thick slices of his wife Erma's,  homemade sour dough bread.   A big o'l hunk of Erma's homemade blueberry pie will cap off the lunch quite nicely.  The real dessert, though, will be a little sweet note from Erma.  She always includes one in Ziggy's lunch pale each day.  Ziggy claims in his own words here " Me and Erma well we been married now for 15 years and we still got lots of fire in both our boilers!  If you know what I mean!"

Engineer Cannonball Waddington sits proudly in his cab.  A large man with a hearty appetite, Cannonball has already inhaled his lunch ... three sandwiches, a pack of potato chips, and three Hostess cupcakes ... all washed down with a big bottle of Frosty Root Beer!  Buuuurrrrp!!     He now daydreams about supper.   Meanwhile head end brakeman Benny Baker, who's a bit scatter brained,  left his lunch pale on the kitchen table. He stands on the tender's apron pondering as to go back and get a burger and some fries  from the snack coach.  .... just another day on the railroad!

Silver Streak and Silver Hours

FOR TODAY: A dawns early light:   This milk reffer has just been set out by the Ma&Pa switcher and Bedford Dairy driver Gordy Sims has his truck in position to be loaded.  Looks like the unloading crew is gathered on the loading/unloading platform, probably waiting on Hokey Joe Luggen the platform foreman who has the key to open the reffer door.   He's probably in the john reading today's horse racing paper.  He's a huge fan of the ponies!  If he ain't at work then it's probably a good bet ( pun intended ) he's at the track.  .... just another day on the railroad!

FOR TODAY:  Patsburg Fire Dept. Engine Co. 5 is always at the ready!  

Photographer I.C. Thrulenz snaps a few pics.    

An interesting  locomotive I saw  on a brief trip to South Dakota  this last week. At Lead SD is the Homestake gold mine. It ran these  a mile and half down underground.

@farmerjohn, Johnny, wow, what a uniquely beautiful locomotive, can you explain the color, whether it’s coal fueled, or oil fueled, and it appears to have twin boilers, it’s a neat find. Thanks for posting this beast of a locomotive for all of us to see here on the forum. Glad you’re having fun traveling. Happy Railroading Everyone

Theses are just random pictures around the layout, @will2926 Will is visiting and running Big Boys….

FOR TODAY: OKTOBER FEST:

The beer is arriving by the reffer car load!  Here we see a wagon load of beer has been unloaded from the reffer car.  The Clydesdale and its' wagon load of brew are off to the big Oktober Fest tent at the park in downtown Patsburg.  This weekend begins the first of several October weekends as the citizens of Patsburg and visitors flocking to Patsburg via train, will celebrate Oktober Fest ... where the aroma of sour beef and dumplings, brat-worse and sauerkraut, and other fine German food will waft through the streets.  The finest craft beers will flow from taps into steins.  Folks will dance to great polka music and laughter will fill the air!  

Wagon driver Bruno Reinsch is about to tell his Clydesdale to move forward.   Foreman Dieter Striegle, in yellow hard hat, is doing his best to persuade Otis Speagleburg , a self appointed "quality control expert" from climbing on top of the wagon load of beer.

Well it looks like Otis was persistent!  

Yep. O'l Otis has popped open a bottle of beer and after taking a huge swig proclaims this load of beer will need more sampling before he deems it safe for public consumption.  He figures that he'll need to drink four to five more beers before he can make any kind of determination.  

Now that the additional beers have been consumed, Otis proclaims " Buuuurrrrp!!  This Oktober Fest beer is the finest yet!  It is fit for public consumption but folks will have to get in line behind me down at the beer tent!!

Larry. The gold mine engine appeared  to be powered  by compressed air or steam that was piped down . They probably didn't want the smoke to have to ventilate.  I should have looked closer. The color  was mabe  to look like gold.