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| You go on vacation, come back and.... https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6756 |
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| Author: | jimwrinn [ Wed Aug 27, 2003 6:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | You go on vacation, come back and.... |
1. MM John Bechtel has two major projects going at one time... an Army hospital car interior restoration, a full costmetic and operational restoration of an ex-N&W combine. 2. The development wing comes up with $85,000 toward BC&G 4's return to steam. Couple that with $25k from a private foundation and we're about a third of the way there. 3. The Shay is on its way to the mountains for its visit to the "home folks." I should go on vacation more often! Some Michigan notes: TJ has been holding back on us, y'all: The depot museum in Port Huron is one of the best. Focus is on young Thomas Edison and his development, which took place mostly at the depot and on board a combine between PH and Detroit. Nicely done hands on exhibits--fun for kids and adults. Go see it. You'll love it. Henry Ford Museum: 2 operating engines (4-4-0 Edison and 0-6-4T Torch Lake), cool armstrong turntable in front of a well presented roundhouse. For the general public that doesn't know what a Roundhouse is, there's a good exhibit on it, what it does, numbers, etc. Enjoyed seeing Amtrak stop at the BACK GATE to discharge passengers. But the true high spot (besides the ride in the Model T replica) was the "World Series of 1867 baseball" being played on 3 fields. When the train arrived to skirt the field, the ump, dressed in top hat and tails, announced: Three cheers for the Iron Horse. All the players doffed their hats and provided appropriate Huzzahs! Noted antique coaling towers at Frankfort and Baldwin... ex-AA, PM or ?? Enjoyed 1225's romp to Cadillac. Very spirited runbys at Lake George. Nice show on Sunday AM with the pull up the hill between Yuma and Boon. She never broke a sweat. Y'all should have seen the grin on fireman Marty Knox' face as she pulled up to the platform Saturday AM. Alas, patronage was light: Only about 150 on the train. Had a nice visit with the gentlemen who own Ephiram Shay's original lumber mill site and have built two impressive, motorized replicas of the William Crippen original Shay and BABY, Ephiram's main engine on the Hemlock Central up at Harbor Springs, which reminds me... ... Ephiram's house is in good private hands...used mostly for local functions. Alas, it is empty otherwise. I also sought out, paused and gave thanks at Ephiram's gave site. Placed a 1925 hat pin with my sincere thanks for countless favors rendered that can never be repaid. I went searching for FEC 4-6-2 148 in Traverse City but could not locate it. Pam and I did take in the dinner train there, which was high quality in its food but somewhat weak on the ride to Walton Junction (did they really have to slow down while passing the stump dump?). Algoma Central: Tour train was packed, long and somewhat restrictive. We took the option to board the through train to Hearst, spend the night and come back the next day. Good choice. The "local" was a delight--laid back. Fun crew. Great scenery. Still saw no moose but I enjoyed seeing folks get their mail by train, watching the ATV unloaded and the canoe and campers loaded on at Hawk Junction. Other fun stuff: Caught 19 out of 21 possible lighthouses, 3 wineries, 1 Frank Lloyd Wright house, 1 tall masted scooner ride, 2 days bicycling and touring Mackinac Island (no trains but great history at the fort), bushplane exhibit and watching freighters come and go at the Saulte. Go see it. Great state. Cool railway preservation and other neat stuff. http://nctrans.org Wrinnbo@aol.com |
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| Author: | Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Aug 27, 2003 10:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | You missed........... |
> Other fun stuff: Caught 19 out of 21 > possible lighthouses, 3 wineries, 1 Frank > Lloyd Wright house, 1 tall masted scooner > ride, 2 days bicycling and touring Mackinac > Island (no trains but great history at the > fort), bushplane exhibit and watching > freighters come and go at the Saulte. You missed the railroad station brewpubs--big Rock Chop and Brewpub in the GTW station at Birmingham (http://www.bigrockchophouse.com/), and Mountain Town in the Ann Arbor depot in Mount Pleasant (www.mountaintown.com). Oh, and since you mention lighthouses, Lighthouse Brewing in Manistee. Oops, correction, the beer-geek version of RyPN (www.pubcrawler.com) says Lighthouse shut down last year........ hic....... LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net |
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| Author: | BobH [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: You go on vacation, come back and.... |
> Henry Ford Museum: 2 operating engines > (4-4-0 Edison and 0-6-4T Torch Lake), cool > armstrong turntable in front of a well > presented roundhouse. For the general public > that doesn't know what a Roundhouse is, > there's a good exhibit on it, what it does, > numbers, etc. Enjoyed seeing Amtrak stop at > the BACK GATE to discharge passengers. But > the true high spot (besides the ride in the > Model T replica) was the "World Series > of 1867 baseball" being played on 3 > fields. When the train arrived to skirt the > field, the ump, dressed in top hat and > tails, announced: Three cheers for the Iron > Horse. All the players doffed their hats and > provided appropriate Huzzahs! Heard on the radio that Ernie Harwell who covered the Tigs on the radio for what seemed like a million years handled the play by play for this event. > Noted antique coaling towers at Frankfort > and Baldwin... ex-AA, PM or ?? Frankfort was home of the AA ferries > I went searching for FEC 4-6-2 148 in > Traverse City but could not locate it. Pam > and I did take in the dinner train there, > which was high quality in its food but > somewhat weak on the ride to Walton Junction > (did they really have to slow down while > passing the stump dump?). The 148 is tucked away inside a building. Heavenrich@yahoo.com |
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| Author: | L Beckman [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 10:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Another Michigan place of interest. |
> Some Michigan notes: > TJ has been holding back on us, y'all: The > depot museum in Port Huron is one of the > best. Focus is on young Thomas Edison and > his development, which took place mostly at > the depot and on board a combine between PH > and Detroit. Nicely done hands on > exhibits--fun for kids and adults. Go see > it. You'll love it. > Henry Ford Museum: 2 operating engines > (4-4-0 Edison and 0-6-4T Torch Lake), cool > armstrong turntable in front of a well > presented roundhouse. For the general public > that doesn't know what a Roundhouse is, > there's a good exhibit on it, what it does, > numbers, etc. Enjoyed seeing Amtrak stop at > the BACK GATE to discharge passengers. But > the true high spot (besides the ride in the > Model T replica) was the "World Series > of 1867 baseball" being played on 3 > fields. When the train arrived to skirt the > field, the ump, dressed in top hat and > tails, announced: Three cheers for the Iron > Horse. All the players doffed their hats and > provided appropriate Huzzahs! > Noted antique coaling towers at Frankfort > and Baldwin... ex-AA, PM or ?? > Enjoyed 1225's romp to Cadillac. Very > spirited runbys at Lake George. Nice show on > Sunday AM with the pull up the hill between > Yuma and Boon. She never broke a sweat. > Y'all should have seen the grin on fireman > Marty Knox' face as she pulled up to the > platform Saturday AM. Alas, patronage was > light: Only about 150 on the train. > Had a nice visit with the gentlemen who own > Ephiram Shay's original lumber mill site and > have built two impressive, motorized > replicas of the William Crippen original > Shay and BABY, Ephiram's main engine on the > Hemlock Central up at Harbor Springs, which > reminds me... > ... Ephiram's house is in good private > hands...used mostly for local functions. > Alas, it is empty otherwise. I also sought > out, paused and gave thanks at Ephiram's > gave site. Placed a 1925 hat pin with my > sincere thanks for countless favors rendered > that can never be repaid. > I went searching for FEC 4-6-2 148 in > Traverse City but could not locate it. Pam > and I did take in the dinner train there, > which was high quality in its food but > somewhat weak on the ride to Walton Junction > (did they really have to slow down while > passing the stump dump?). > Algoma Central: Tour train was packed, long > and somewhat restrictive. We took the option > to board the through train to Hearst, spend > the night and come back the next day. Good > choice. The "local" was a > delight--laid back. Fun crew. Great scenery. > Still saw no moose but I enjoyed seeing > folks get their mail by train, watching the > ATV unloaded and the canoe and campers > loaded on at Hawk Junction. > Other fun stuff: Caught 19 out of 21 > possible lighthouses, 3 wineries, 1 Frank > Lloyd Wright house, 1 tall masted scooner > ride, 2 days bicycling and touring Mackinac > Island (no trains but great history at the > fort), bushplane exhibit and watching > freighters come and go at the Saulte. > Go see it. Great state. Cool railway > preservation and other neat stuff. Jim: One thing you didn't mention is the railroad display at Grand Haven (on Lake Michigan). Not only the remains of a concrete coal dock, but the "other" surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 (#1223) on display along with a Pere Marquette box car and a couple of cabooses. Not as exciting as the 1225 in steam, but a nice display site nevertheless. midlandblb@cs.com |
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| Author: | jimwrinn [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:00 am ] |
| Post subject: | Les is More! |
Sorry, I couldn't resist. But Les is Right! The 1223 display is very well done. Engine is well painted and fenced but not overly fenced. The preserved coaling tower made me wonder how many of these are actually preserved. Any how, great state. Did I mention the blueberry vinagrette dressing and the cherry grilling sauce? Yum! Jim Wrinnbo@aol.com |
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| Author: | Steve Zuiderveen [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: You missed........... |
> You missed the railroad station > brewpubs--big Rock Chop and Brewpub in the > GTW station at Birmingham > (http://www.bigrockchophouse.com/), and > Mountain Town in the Ann Arbor depot in > Mount Pleasant (www.mountaintown.com). No he didn't. We had a twenty minute station stop both NB and SB at Mountain Town to load up box lunches and detrain wait staff. Trip operator Ray Kammer http://www.lcrt.homestead.com/Homepage.html made sure to give me a quick tour of the depot/restaurant SB, however, due to Rule G . . . . The trip was a high quality experience both from the enthusiast standpoint and the general public. NOT one of fabled 16 hour death marches of days of yore and outstanding weather. You couldn't ask for a more scenic and pleasant station stop than the grounds at Cadillac. If we don't get more paying customers it will not be able to sustain itself. Steve Zuiderveen Lake Central Rail Tours SZuidervee@aol.com |
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| Author: | Ken Middlebrook [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Roundhouse exhibit details? |
> For the general public > that doesn't know what a Roundhouse is, > there's a good exhibit on it, what it does, > numbers, etc. What was good about their exhibit? Was it interactive in any fashion? kamiddle@rockwellcollins.com |
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| Author: | jimwrinn [ Thu Aug 28, 2003 4:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Roundhouse exhibit details? |
> What was good about their exhibit? Was it > interactive in any fashion? Ken. First off, you entered the building by skirting the turntable and got a preview of things to come. Inside, you got a quick overview of what a steam engine is and how it works. By pushing the driver wheel of a 4-4-0 outline on the wall, you made the "steam" and "water" and "fire" react. Kind of backwards, but it still got the point across. Lots of artifacts to see and touch, including tools, a section of crown sheet complete with a hammer so you could "test" broken staybolts (at least 2) and my favorite--a section of boiler tube with corrosion and junk and a relatively clean one (evidence of lack of care vs. proper care). From there, climb the steps to a catwalk (much like steamtown's) overlooking the bays. Here there was another exhibit giving the why of the the roundhouse, its useage nationwide and why it is rare today. From there, over to the DT&I 4-4-2, which was parked over a pit you could walk under, had the smokebox door open for interior inspection (alas, no light in there, and the docent said he'd been trying to get one installed for some time). Then, outside, you could test your strength on the armstrong turntable. Overall, it was very well done and nice to see a "teaching" roundhouse. Remember, you and I know what a roundhouse is (was) but if you don't get it across to the general public, it's not worth a pile of ashpit droppings. Incidentally, there is a pretty Detroit, Lima & Northern under restoration inside the building and ex-D&M 0-6-0 No. 8 outside for display. http://nctrans.org Wrinnbo@aol.com |
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| Author: | L Beckman [ Fri Aug 29, 2003 12:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 4-4-2 corrected info |
> Ken. First off, you entered the building by > skirting the turntable and got a preview of > things to come. Inside, you got a quick > overview of what a steam engine is and how > it works. By pushing the driver wheel of a > 4-4-0 outline on the wall, you made the > "steam" and "water" and > "fire" react. Kind of backwards, > but it still got the point across. Lots of > artifacts to see and touch, including tools, > a section of crown sheet complete with a > hammer so you could "test" broken > staybolts (at least 2) and my favorite--a > section of boiler tube with corrosion and > junk and a relatively clean one (evidence of > lack of care vs. proper care). From there, > climb the steps to a catwalk (much like > steamtown's) overlooking the bays. Here > there was another exhibit giving the why of > the the roundhouse, its useage nationwide > and why it is rare today. From there, over > to the DT&I 4-4-2, which was parked over > a pit you could walk under, had the smokebox > door open for interior inspection (alas, no > light in there, and the docent said he'd > been trying to get one installed for some > time). Then, outside, you could test your > strength on the armstrong turntable. Jim: A correction. The 4-4-2 was never operated by the DT&I. The Atlanctic was built as Michigan Central # 254 by ALCO in 1902 (s/n 25887), was renumbered in 1905 as # 7953 and then in 1915 as # 8085. Henry Ford purchased the engine in 1926 and assigned it to the DT&I as their #45 (Ford owned the DT&I at the time.) But the locomotive is Michigan Central through and through. Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana) > Overall, it was very well done and nice to > see a "teaching" roundhouse. > Remember, you and I know what a roundhouse > is (was) but if you don't get it across to > the general public, it's not worth a pile of > ashpit droppings. > Incidentally, there is a pretty Detroit, > Lima & Northern under restoration inside > the building and ex-D&M 0-6-0 No. 8 > outside for display. midlandblb@cs.com |
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| Author: | Dave Sutter [ Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Michigan sites |
> TJ has been holding back on us, y'all: The > depot museum in Port Huron is one of the > best. Focus is on young Thomas Edison and > his development, which took place mostly at > the depot and on board a combine between PH > and Detroit. Nicely done hands on > exhibits--fun for kids and adults. Go see > it. You'll love it. The Port Huron Museum is one of the most extensive local history museums I have seen. With the Huron lightship, the recently added former U.S.C.G.C Bramble, the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, the Fort Gratiot Hospital, the Edison Depot Museum, and the Main Port Huron Museum. It offers a lot to see and do. > Henry Ford Museum: 2 operating engines > (4-4-0 Edison and 0-6-4T Torch Lake), cool > armstrong turntable in front of a well > presented roundhouse. For the general public > that doesn't know what a Roundhouse is, > there's a good exhibit on it, what it does, > numbers, etc. Enjoyed seeing Amtrak stop at > the BACK GATE to discharge passengers. The Henry Ford is another amazing destination. with the aforementioned items in Greenfield Village. The impressive Henry Ford Museum shouldn't be missed. Add in the Benson Ford Research center and the too be added Ford Rouge Factory Tour and you can see why they are billing themselves as Americas Greatest History Attraction (I'm not just saying that because I am a new employee there fresh out of the Orientation hoopla). > Enjoyed 1225's romp to Cadillac. Very > spirited runbys at Lake George. Nice show on > Sunday AM with the pull up the hill between > Yuma and Boon. She never broke a sweat. > Y'all should have seen the grin on fireman > Marty Knox' face as she pulled up to the > platform Saturday AM. Alas, patronage was > light: Only about 150 on the train. I can only imagine Marty's expression as the train pulled in. I think that grin was still in full form on Monday when he returned to work at the Huck! It was unfortunate I didnt get to meet you Mr. Wrinn. > Algoma Central: Tour train was packed, long > and somewhat restrictive. We took the option > to board the through train to Hearst, spend > the night and come back the next day. Good > choice. The "local" was a > delight--laid back. Fun crew. Great scenery. > Still saw no moose but I enjoyed seeing > folks get their mail by train, watching the > ATV unloaded and the canoe and campers > loaded on at Hawk Junction. I am glad I was able to take the trip to Hearst when the covered wagons were in use. It is truly a sight to lean out the door of one of those units as the train traverses the Montreal River. But if you want to really take a train into Northern Ontario get off the Algoma Central in Hearst, Hop a bus the following Morning into Cochrane and ride the Little Bear to Moosonee. two flag stop trains, great scenery, wonderful crews, and lots of wildlife. > Other fun stuff: Caught 19 out of 21 > possible lighthouses, 3 wineries, 1 Frank > Lloyd Wright house, 1 tall masted scooner > ride, 2 days bicycling and touring Mackinac > Island (no trains but great history at the > fort), bushplane exhibit and watching > freighters come and go at the Saulte. > "Go see it. Great state. Cool railway > preservation and other neat stuff." I have to agree. But then again I live here, went to school in the Michigan Soo, Work at two great organizations made so by wonderful people, and spend as much time as possible visiting the rest. sutterd@hotmail.com |
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