I personally applaud the signing of Kate Walsh as your current pitchwoman for the Cadillac CTS sedan. It's certainly a better move than the "The Caddy that Zigs" line for the unlamented Catera.

That being said, your design studio failed. Like the proverbial poor marksman, you keep missing the target. If I had the income to consider a Cadillac sedan, I wouldn't. They're ugly, just like the entire Cadillac line has been for some time, and your continuing production of the Escalade is an affront to aesthetic design. If it can't go off-road, it's not a sport utility vehicle.

Anyways, the two ads in question:

To be totally honest, I'd listen to Kate Walsh read the phone book. I've never seen either of her ABC medical programs---and never will---but she's easily the best from either in terms of purely audio-visual appeal. Well, once you get past the fact that she is/was a smoker---either the lungs will go or the looks will, on an accelerated basis.

Kate asks, "[T]he real question is, when you turn your car on, does it return the favor?"

Even you and your voice couldn't get me to say 'yes' if the vehicle in question was a Cadillac of the current century. Bring me a vintage Allanté in mint condition and overhauled to acceptable performance standards, a finalized divorce, yourself, and we'll talk of favorite things and starting cars.

---

Addendum: I didn't know that the Catera line managed to snare Cindy Crawford to pitch for it. All that, and it still was an eyesore. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

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Offered without comment:
Abolish Norfolk Southern Camp Cars.

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So, to commemorate the second half of the month, brief commentary on the September 2007 Norfolk Southern Railway calendar photo.

We are treated to a near head-on shot of a mixed freight near Vesuvius, Virginia. NS 9230, one of the railway's ubiquitous GE D9-40CWs, is on the point. The most visible thing is, of course, the locomotive's white striping on the front with the rampant stallion. All lights are functional, so they're nowhere near a grade crossing.

Bob Bahrs, a conductor from Dover, N.J., shot the photograph on the way back from a reception held at the O. Winston Link Museum in the old N&W passenger station in Roanoke.

Originally drafted on 18 September 2007 at 20:26:35.

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This just in, a couple of days late. Apparently, the Canadian Pacific Railway is buying the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.

Per the CBC, the CPR said late Tuesday it will pay the $1.48 billion in cash, plus contingent future payments of up to US$1 billion based on progress on a long-term DM&E expansion to carry coal from the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

If this does work, it would help to drive a stake into the BNSF/UP Powder River Basin system. That alone might be worth dropping the flag on the Class II carrier. News as I discover it.

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This week appears to have operated off of a distinctly Northern Pacific Railway---the good NPR---flavor. Earlier in the week, I was browsing through an antiques store when the following popped up:

more...

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By way of another blog, I've managed to find another Penn Central site:

UnlikelyPCRR.com

This fellow has done some really good work, including the scanning of various back issues of the PC Post, the company's newsletter from 1968 until 1976. There's also employee timetables for various operating areas, rulebooks, and a "Penn Central Diesel Spotter's Guide" that's accurate as of some time in 1974.

I'm very pleased to have found this site; it's less than a year old and seems to have a lot of promise. Much thanks to Gareth Bayer for leading me there. (Caution: Mr. Bayer's tastes may or may not necessarily align with your cultural standards; be advised and govern yourself accordingly.)

Paul Weiss, the site founder has the following to say about the Penn Central:

The Penn Central was a gritty, far flung railroad that in some people’s minds is very forgettable. It had neither the romance of the steam era nor the thrill of the streamliner era to allow it to take root in the hearts and minds of railfans. In fact, deferred maintenance resulted from a lack of profits, and “our” PC was one of noisy diesels belching thick black smoke, making a bunch of noise, and rarely did the paint disguise the former lineage of the unfortunate diesels that seemed so tired.

The above is probably an excellent little summation of the PC from a railfan perspective. I still run into railfans who recoil in horror or spew expletives when you mention the PC.

And to think of it, I was looking for a Soo Line autorack when I found all this.

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The Virginia Museum of Transportation's blog, VMT Musings, has announced 24th July, 2007, as the scheduled date of departure for NYC&StL S-2 763. The Berkshire-class locomotive will be moved over the Norfolk Southern Railway to Ohio Central property for potential restoration and return to service.

For further information, including an important disclaimer, see here for full details.

(Yes, I groused about the sale here and somewhat reconsidered here, so make of it what you will.)

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TO ALL CONCERNED:

Account SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY FUNERAL & PARTY, operate extra train from New York, no stops, to Washington, on SATURDAY JUNE 8th, 1968.

CONSIST
1 Baggage car #7534
6 "Congo" coaches
1 Diner #4484
4 "Congo" coaches
2 Diners-twin uni #4608-4609
4 "Congo" coaches
1 Parlor 7-DR #7146
1 Biz car #30 (Kitchen end to rear)
1 Biz car #120 (Obs to rear)
21 cars.

SCHEDULE
PLACE TRAIN ON TRACK #12 AT NEW YORK.
Leave New York 12.30pm
Pass Newark 12.45pm
" New Brunswick 1.05pm
" Trenton 1.30pm
" North Phila 1.55pm
" 30th St Phila 2.05pm
" Chester 2.20pm
" Wilmington 2.35pm
" Perryville 3.00pm
" Aberdeen 3.05pm
" Baltimore 3.40pm
Arrive Washn Terml Trk 16. 4.20pm more...

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I gave up a while back trying to understand the exact corporate structure of the entity formerly known as Guilford Transportation Industries, i.e. the Guilford Rail System, whose holdings included the Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Springfield Terminal railroads. Their recent change in branding to "Pan Am Railways" didn't help either.¹

I don't know anyone who sings the praises of this company, but a lot of complaints usually tend to be railfan insults: "The paint job's boring!" "They don't run this locomotive or that! They didn't give me unrestricted access to roam around the Waterville or North Billerica facilities!" Y'know, meaningless complaints.²

However, the Superintendent over at the Cold Spring Shops has dug up an article detailing the latest misdeeds of the company. For more information, read his snarky rejoinder here.

Given the praise I've seen sent his way in the past, ol' PBM might actually be an improvement on Dave Fink. From what I understand, a railroad under McGinnis couldn't pay its bills. Pan Am, on the other hand, won't pay its bills. They've supposedly got the money.

---
¹ Wikipedia's Pan Am Railways article suggests that GTI=Pan Am Systems now, which owns the B&M, MEC, and ST. Go figure.

² For the record, I don't hate PAR; I just don't understand their mindset. Last I heard, they had ex-N&W/SOU motive power running around up there, along with some GP7/GP9s; that counts for something. I do like the two liveries they've used so far. My only complaint is that their ownership of the Delaware & Hudson didn't turn out so great, but the Canadian Pacific seems to have done all right with it.

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I've previously griped about the Virginia Museum of Transportation here, generally about their sale of NYC&StL S-2 763 to the Ohio Central people and the gift shop. Your correspondent is petty, among other things.

In a pleasant response to my (probably) vituperative rantings, someone from the VMT said the following things:

You mentioned that "the best possible argument" for the sale is that we can't afford to maintain it. True as that may be, the heart of our decision , and the best supporting argument for it, is that 763 never ran in Virginia, and as such, belongs elsewhere. This is so that we can not only maintain the pieces in our collection that are germane to our mission, but also make room for additional pieces that would further enhance our goals, like the last remaining Y6 sitting in St. Louis, or the addition of Metrorail cars from Northern Virginia. Meanwhile, 763 can be restored and cared for properly. It's a win-win scenario.

...

As for the gift shop, I strongly encourage you to come back. We no longer sell wine or dog shampoo or anything of the sort -- it was universally recognized that those products were out of place here -- and a concerted effort has been made to ensure that the shop's merchandise serves as an extension of the educational experience provided by the museum.

First off, I want to thank my anonymous commenter---you've been added to the blogroll---for taking the time to respond. I also want to apologize to the fellow for not noticing his response sooner; my e-mail notification of his comment was buried in the 'bulk mail' folder of my e-mail account. (Sanford Wallace, a special level of Hell has been commissioned especially for you and yours.)

With regards to the transfer of NYC&StL 763, I invoke yet again the words of the otherwise loathsome Joschka Fischer: "Excuse me, I am not convinced."

I am willing to grant the point that no Nickel Plate steam locomotive ever turned a wheel in active revenue service in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The relevant article at VMT Musings indicates that this was a factor in the decision to seek a sale. The article also points out that the locomotive has been in the City of Roanoke since the mid-1960s, ostensibly some time after the Norfolk and Western-Nickel Plate merger of 1964. In other words, 763 has been within the borders of the Commonwealth for about forty years.

Forty years, ladies and gentlemen. I am tempted to suggest that the locomotive has been transmuted---not from separate property to marital property---but to an asset of the Commonwealth. Call it friendly adverse possession. I would also point out that the Nickel Plate 2-8-4 is historically significant to the Commonwealth, inasmuch as the Norfolk and Western's farewell to private passenger service was powered by NYC&StL S-2 759, back in May of 1971. That is a historical note of signficance, and since 759 is at Steamtown, it ain't coming back. Might as well have her sister, 763, here; perhaps repaint the latter to represent the motive power for that last train. I wouldn't object.

Our guest from the VMT also dangles a very attractive carrot in front of us, mentioning that they're still angling to get the last N&W Y6a, 2156 at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. I have also heard that Castro's regime is bound to fall any day; President Kennedy has promised it. With respect to the VMT, I'll believe that they're getting the last Y6a when I can lay hands on the thing under the Claytor Pavilion.¹

Another point made by our VMT correspondent was that, "the sale...keeps our doors open". Fair enough. I can't object to VMT trying to keep the doors open, but the reported sale price---$125,000---would cover in the neighborhood of four months' operating expenses, based upon a statement made elsewhere at VMT Musings. Er, selling off a crown jewel for four months' operating costs doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I hope I'm not being too acidic or snide when I say, "Sounds like Amtrak logic to me", although I don't know that 763 is exactly equivalent to Pennsylvania Station, New York, New York. Regardless, it's not like they're going to get their hands on another attractive example of 'big steam' that people would pay money for, so I'm not entirely sure that the disposal of 763 represents sustainable thinking.

What worries me is that the VMT might think, "Hey, we sold one; we can do it again!" the next time the financial crunch comes. A quick glance at the nice list of rolling stock they provide with every ticket sale suggests that there might be only three or four more candidates for such a policy:

CR SDP45 6670 (ex-EL 3639)
PRR GG1 4919
W&LE NW2 D-3
WAB E8A 1009

I wouldn't be reaching for the razor and my wrists if the W&LE switcher went to a good home. I'd be disgruntled if a surviving E-unit went for sale (although in fairness, they have an RF&P E8A in similar condition) and I'd be irked if they sold off the SDP45. I would, however, be outraged if the GG1 was sold; it may very well (depending upon exact operating boundaries and the like which I don't know) turned a wheel in revenue service here in Virginia; moreover, it's a GG1, arguably the best electric locomotive this country ever produced, be it an operational or aesthetic question.

As Jim Wrinn recently wrote in Trains, the issue is money. VMT Musings goes to great lengths to detail the (perilous?) financial condition of the museum. I'm not a resident of the City of Roanoke; I'm barely in the WDBJ viewing area and wouldn't be within range of Roanoke's public radio station if not for the network of repeaters that they operate in further western Virginia. Therefore, I may be out of place to say this but, What are you people thinking? If not for railroads in general and the Norfolk and Western in particular, Roanoke would still be "Big Lick" and probably wouldn't be worth Interstate 581, much less stopping there. Unfortunately, I don't have any political pull anywhere near the Roanoke area, so I can't just make a few phone calls. I don't even know who to ask.

It's not like the Roanoke Valley Vipers are exactly the class of their league or anything.

Arrgh. If I ever win one of those multiple-State, multiple millions of dollars lotteries---not that I actually play---I'd be on the phone to VMT within a week demanding the restoration to operating condition of N&W C630 1135 and SD45 1776, along with that ex-EL SDP45 that's off site, all while waving a seven or eight digit check.

Enough nastiness and so forth for one entry; in the vein of the execrable Joel Osteen, let me close with something uplifting: My VMT visitor asked me back to the place after my not-so-pleasant experience in the gift shop. I am pleased to report that I'd actually been there before the posting of the comment, and it was a completely different experience. There has been somewhat of a renaissance of rail-related material, and as the commenter noted, the dog shampoo and the wine are gone. Hooray.

Yes, I spent money. I also had a paid admission and enjoyed, yet again, wandering through the yard. I do appreciate the efforts being made to reshuffle the collection, because you can see more of it. In a way, this visit was a farewell to 763, which I've seen for years; to be perfectly maudlin about it, I patted the thing's flanks in the manner of a race horse being sent to pasture.

If all goes well, I'll be able to be there when she heads to her new life, which will hopefully include more care and feeding than VMT can afford.

NB: It's Tartan Day, and therefore there must Scottish content. Well, they have railroads in Scotland, and the tenuous Scottish railroads-Virginia Museum of Transportation connection will have to do until I dream up an ode to Scotch or Stornoway.

¹ That being said, I've heard more than one individual state variations on, "There aren't three tracks under the Claytor Pavilion for nothing, you know". I could be proved wrong yet, and I'd like to be.

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Aficionados of Northeastern railroading are probably familiar with the Lehigh & New England Railroad. It was the second big Northeastern railroad to go out of business, thus serving as a canary in the mineshaft for the problems that would come to a head in the early 1970s with the Penn Central and almost every other railroad up there.

The L&NE Railroad went into the history books on 31 October 1961, but was resurrected, sort of, the following day by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which continued operations on parts of the line it deemed profitable as the Lehigh & New England Railway. This isn't to say that the L&NERR died as a bankrupt ruin in the manner of the New Haven or the Penn Central. No, it was sent into history by its corporate parent, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. The LC&N was an anthracite mining concern dealing in the particular type of coal found in Pennsylvania that burned cleaner than other types, such as bituminous.¹

The LC&N took a look at the declining anthracite market---replaced in its home-heating use by oil---in the late 1950s and decided to cut its losses before they happened. The L&NE's other major customer, the cement industry, was switching over to trucks because of modal efficiencies that the railroads were incapable of matching at the time. I had read somewhere that the parent, known as the "Old Company", went into oblivion not too long after its railroad. The end, right? Wrong.

While researching the L&NE recently, I decided to look up its parent, and lo, I found the website of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. Surprised, I went there expecting a historical thing. Boy, was I wrong! The LC&N, reformed in 1989 after a period of 24 years, still operates its anthracite mines in Pennsylvania.

No word on whether they'll be re-establishing in-house rail service . I think I'd like them better if they put the L&NE herald on their trucks and other equipment.

---
¹ Clean enough that the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western sent its mascot, Phoebe Snow, forth to proclaim that she could wear white upon the Road of Anthracite and not get filthy. I'm told that it was the fuel of choice for vessels seeking to evade the United States Navy's blockade of the Confederate States of America's ports during the Late Unpleasantness, because when you mixed anthracite's low-visibility smoke with a low-slung hull and a low-visibility paint scheme, the USN might not see your vessel until you were out of position for them to effect an intercept.

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Via Rachel at Tinkerty Tonk, I've found something that was somewhat distressing:

A Scotsman's diary

The file is named 'anorak', which apparently is Brit-speak for those who watch and photograph trains or planes. It gives you an idea of the subject matter, some poor chap in Edinburgh, Scotland. Upon reading it myself, I promptly went to check and see what kind of data I kept and the like. The results?

-No train tapes, as it were. I've been wanting to get one on the ALCO/MLW units of the Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway and the Green Frog Penn Central ones, but other than that, nada. Luckily, my railroad enthusiast's budget goes to books and stuff for Train Simulator. Whee.

-No records on VHS/DVD viewing; I don't want to know. It's been nearly zero this year, and was similarly low last year. I could bug my Sony DVD player (when it isn't giving me its famous error) to tell me how much it's been used, but I'd rather not.

-Only a handful of visits to railway preservation sites. I did get to ride a nice excursion in Tennessee last year; if I ever dig up my notes, perhaps I'll post 'em. Photos, too. Lucky for me that my sort of record keeping is notes scribbled hastily on a napkin or something that gets tucked in a drawer and found years later, hopefully with a time and date stamp.

-No unrequited or unacted-upon love at work, so that's good.

Useful to read, but not the most pleasant experience. The Scottish Co-Operative Wholesale Republic also has some thoughts on this.

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Thank God I don't live in West Virginia. This isn't some insult directed at our erstwhile relatives, but rather inspired by the latest accident on the CSX system.

The CNN report indicates that evacuation of the State capital, Charleston, might be necessary if a leak of the train's payload occurred.

There was no information on whether the crew was injured or not. I hope that they survived uninjured. As with the UTU/CNR news, further updates as available.

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It appears that the board of the Virginia Museum of Transportation ("VMT") have done something I disagree with, namely selling NYC&StL S-2 763 to the Ohio Central Railroad.

According to the following article by John B. Corns, the intent of the OCR is to return the Lima-built locomotive to service:

Roanoke, Jan. 3, 2007 - Ohio Central Railroad System CEO Jerry Joe Jacobson (left - click for larger image) shakes the hand of Virginia Transportation Museum Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick during a meeting where OCRS agreed to purchase from VMT the former Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 763. Several options were discussed for the swapping of steam locomotives to bring the big Berk back home to the Buckeye State, but both organizations were in agreement that a straight cash sale would be better suited for all concerned. Details of the sale have not been announced. The OCRS has nine other steam locos (three of which are operational), and will bring the Berk to the railroad's Morgan Run Shop this spring where 763 will be rebuilt for service by OC shop forces. VMT is home to an impressive collection of railroad rolling stock, including historic steamers such as N&W J-class 4-8-4 611 and A-class 2-6-6-4 1218. Nickel Plate 763 was built by Lima in 1944, and was operated across Ohio in fast freight service. When NKP dieselized its road power in 1958 the 763 was stored in the yard at Bellevue for future donation to that town. However, after the 1964 merger of NKP into Norfolk & Western, N&W took the steamer to its headquarters city of Roanoke where 763 has been displayed ever since.

Despite the fact that 763 was in deplorable shape, I cannot applaud this action. Sure, the fanatics will hoot and holler at Big Steam In Service, but not I. The best possible argument for the sale is that 763 was deteriorating and could not be maintained in protection under the Claytor Pavilion. This would of course be true, but I would rather they tried to expand the facilities there, instead of reducing the collection.

It seems to be another questionable decision on the part of the VMT. I haven't been there for a while after seeing their "new look" gift shop. Prior to 2006, the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS ran that shop, and had a lot of publications relating to, gee, railroading. More than once I stopped in there and laid out fifty or sixty bucks for a book on various rail-related subjects. However, the shop was overhauled at some point in the last year or so, and was refocused. I was intially happy; the NRHS merchandise selection had stagnated just a little bit.

I was immediately horrified by what I saw in the new store; the large selection of books and rail-related material (including N&&W system maps from the 1960s) had been depleted and replaced by wine and Roanoke-branded merchandise, like glasses and napkins. The cheerful old railfans behind the counter were also gone, replaced by two creepily metrosexual (or worse, I strongly suspected) men who didn't appear to know a thing about railroads or the raison d'etre of the museum. I departedly quickly and walked down the street to the O. Winston Link museum, where I spent an hour or so watching trains roll by while chatting with the gift store staff there. And oh yes, money was spent.

Anyways. Congratulations to the Nickel Plate fans and the OCR; you've just made the VMT a little less interesting, because I always performed a walkaround of 763 when I was there. I hope you're happy. Maybe VMT will spend the money on restoring some of the remaining collection, which is starting to look shabby. (The best solution is, of course, raiding funds earmarked for Northern Virginia's never-slaked thirst; that would be fun.)

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A pair of teenagers in a Nelsonville, Ohio juvenile hall broke out and stole Hocking Valley Scenic Railway GP7 5833. The two operated the locomotive for several miles, heading south from the HV's facility.

Local police were able to apprehend the pair after the locomotive stopped at South Logan, Ohio. Engineer Earl Defibaugh of the HV says that the ex-Chesapeake & Ohio GP7 was undamaged but for a few scratches on the paint.

The NBC4 report on this is really amusing, making use of the Man in Black for its background music.

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Earlier in the day, I had a joyous morning report. Well, that's changed, and for good reason. Two MOW men were killed today in Woburn, Massachusetts, after their vehicle was struck by an MBTA commuter train.

At the time, the MBTA (or other agency) stated that it believed a switching error put the train from the designated active track to the one being worked on. For full information, visit CBS 4 in Boston.

This publication's thoughts and prayers are with the families of Christopher Macaulay and James Zipps.

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About a month late, but who's counting?

The 2006 Norfolk Southern Christmas card. It's a nifty little Flash animation that I liked and saved.

Posted by: Country Pundit at 11:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This came by way of e-mail recently:

Dearly Beloved,
We are gathered here today in accordance with the FRA, AAR, ICC, UTU and other regulatory bodies to unite these two units in M.U. service. If anyone takes exception, file your grievance or get in the clear.

(Groom's name), Do you take this woman to be your trailing unit, tying down your pin lifter forever, and permanently restricting yourself from interchange service, even with newer, freshly-painted units, remaining coupled despite flat wheels, sticking brakes, even unto bad orders and major derailments, until you are both rendered unto scrap?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

And, (Groom's name), do you promise to pull this unit up ruling grade, using throttle and brake wisely to prevent rough train handling, broken knuckles, and pulled drawbars, applying sand as necessary to prevent wheel slip, so that you both crest the hill together, regardless of the trailing tonnage?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

And do you also promise not to cut away from your trailing unit, even when her side sheets have rusted through, and her paint job has faded?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

Now, (Bride's name), do you take this man to be your lead unit, tying down your pin-lifter forever, and permanently removing yourself from interchange service, even with newer series, high-adhesion, high-horsepower units, remaining coupled despite flat wheels, sticking brakes, even unto bad orders and major derailments, until you are both rendered unto scrap?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

And do you promise to respond promptly to throttle and brake commands from your lead unit, handling your share of the tonnage, and helping your lead unit up ruling grade when necessary, being ever cautious to avoid unnecessary drawbar buff?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

Do you also promise to remain coupled to your lead unit, even when he has a couple of traction motors cut out, and can no longer develop full horsepower?

If so, signify by sounding your whistle as prescribed by GCOR Rule 5.8.2, example 4.

Now, (Bride and Groom), as a token of your intent to M.U., make the joint and stretch the slack.

By the power vested in me by the General Manager, Superintendent of Operations, and the Road Foreman of Engines, I now pronounce you permanently coupled.

You may cut in the air.

I make no warranties as to the rules compliance of these statements.

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1 There are so many web-sites like this! Nothing special and nothing original! I will never come back here

Posted by: Just me at April 06, 2008 12:19 PM (w/QBm)

2 I don't know If I said it already but ...I'm so glad I found this site...Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog. Thanks, A definite great read....

Posted by: BloggerDude at October 08, 2009 09:24 PM (xWLCc)

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Felgercarb.

I took my 2006 railroad calendar down yesterday, and now there's a giant white space on the wall where it used to be. My 2007 calendars haven't been ordered yet, alas. Time to stick one of the porcelain signs up there for the time being.

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Dan Zukowski, when not skewering the Union Pacific, provides other valuable services. Loyalty to 6 Penn Center requires me to post this, dubbed "Sunday Gallery".

I can't be sure if it's an ex-NYC or ex-PRR unit, although I'd guess that it's an ex-PRR unit. I can't tell what the numberboards say in total, although I see a '9' in the right-hand numberboard and a faint '42' in the left numberboard. This could be wishful thinking, though. If I recall correctly, the 429x series of E8As on the PC were all ex-PRR units.

No clue on what kind of New Haven commuter coach that was. Thanks for posting the shot of one of my favorite fallen flags, Dan!

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