The Country Pundit

Rogers Pass Released

The intrepid Canadians of Maple Leaf Tracks ("MLT") have released their Rogers Pass route for the Microsoft Train Simulator. In their words:

"Rogers Pass is a modern representation of Canadian Pacific Railway's Mountain Subdivision from Field, BC to Revelstoke, BC. It is a continuation of the transcontinental route through Canada's Western Mountain region that started with Kicking Horse Pass.

The route starts at the crew change point in Field at the end of the Laggan Sub. Drops down the Kicking Horse Canyon to Golden, BC. At Golden, the Windermere Sub connects, including the giant coal train servicing yard. From there, the route heads up the Rocky Mountain Trench to the mouth of the Beaver River. It then starts up the grades of Rogers Pass to the tunnels under the summit. From the summit, the route drops down the Illecillewaet River to Revelstoke, BC. "

It's affordably priced at $24.99, and is probably worth the money. Once I get the proper funds shifted, I will be giving myself this, eh. Read all about the route here.

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It appears that this route is the next step to the west from MLT's Kicking Horse Pass v2.0, which simulates the CPR's Laggan Subdivision. I could be wrong, and if I am, correct me.

MLT has been making add-ons for MSTS for quite some time; I personally own most of their products and think them good. For what it's worth, the Canadian Pacific Railway has been the most accomodating of the MSTS user base, authorizing several "official" releases.

Addendum: I have no pecuniary interest in MLT, Microsoft, or the CPR.

Macy's 2005

I absolutely hate mornings, but make of it what one will. It appears that I missed something interesting by not getting up earlier and catching NBC's Campbell Brown helping out on the fringes of some cooking demonstration on the Today program. Felgercarb!

And away we go!

0900: Yay, "The National Broadcasting Company"; it's always nifty to hear full corporate names from another era. The only problem is that I'll be stuck with the dreadful duo of Couric & Lauer.

0902: Thirty-nine degrees in Herald Square, ick. When I watched Macy's back in the 1990s, I froze myself to death. Not only was the weather absolutely miserable in terms of temperature, but we must have found the international section, because I heard something like ten languages around me. The only problem with that was that none of them were English.

Mr. Robin Hall is annoying already, and the woman standing beside him looks like Harriet Miers. Of course, maybe I'm just not good at connecting to New York views of how to show enthusiasm.

0905: Ill-tempered rant about the presence of one named guest snipped out of consideration for audience interest. At least the sports entertainment crowd doesn't have anyone announced in this lineup; maybe Kristin Chenoweth will do a good song. Her popular music release from a few years back was pretty good, although she annoyed in Bewitched. Hmm.

0910: Gah, Sprint ads have gotten very bad. Yay, massive train station in Europe. Meanwhile, I just can't get excited about the National Dog Show, although I understand that people watch it. Little children die when Katie Couric opens her mouth.

0913: Rainn Wilson looks like John Lithgow's Blake Edwards in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. I'm not sure that's a compliment. Let's see how many NBC television programs we can hawk, Roker.

Ooh, here we go with Christina Applegate. I wasn't in Herald Square when I saw the thing, so I've never actually seen these little dance numbers. On second thought, I think I liked Miss Applegate in something else better.

0918: Hmm, stage makeup always makes one look really weird, and that must be the final verdict on Miss Applegate. Hooray, someone with a Washington Nationals hat. Do I really need commercials for food, gambling, and dancing to convince me to go to Puerto Rico? (Admittedly, the only way I'd go to Puerto Rico is on a junket to waste public money, but...)

Expect something extra from CVS? How about lower service? Bah, Sheryl Crow in the NBC Christmas concert. Her last album stunk, so I don't think I'll be tuning in. On the other hand, it might be interesting to see who's got more makeup on in an attempt to cover up age, Rod Stewart or her. Ha ha.

Blah, daytime soap opera stars waste my time.

0923: Ooh, maids. The problem with the Broadway singing style is that every singer sounds alike, or at least alike enough to fool my ears. (We're never going to assign you to Brookhiser's seat or anything near the city desk. ---Ed.) One would think that Dirty Rotten Scoundrel would refer to George Steinbrenner.

0931: Well, finally someone to tell us some more things about the city itself. Thanks to Amy Grant for being useful, unlike Couric & Lauer. Nice off-camera snow gun. I don't think it's a coincidence that Couric is wearing some sort of hat that probably wouldn't have been out of place on the late Raisa Gorbachev. Bloody little hack journalist.

Meanwhile, the gal in the red-and white from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is pleasant to watch and listen to. I don't remember the movie being an economic or critical overperformer, but maybe I'm wrong. Ouch, just watching people do bell kicks causes pain. I'm afraid of the human on the left of the yellow-vested man. That had better be a woman in greasepaint or something.

0938: Brad Paisley versus Kermit the Frog in dueling banjos. I...I have nothing to say. Oh, Couric, you urban sophisticate, "CPW" for "Central Park West". I am nothing before your brilliant acronyms. My God, Adrien Brody is a human woodpecker. Hmm, NASA rocket in the background. Recreating New York ought to be interesting, especially if they put something from the New York Central or Pennsylvania Railroad. A New Haven I-5 on The Merchants Limited might not be out of place, either...

I'd rather ride on a ship of the Cunard or White Star lines than on Royal Carribean's Freedom of the Seas. You don't surf on something that wants to win the Blue Riband.

0943: "We're Sunnnnnnnncom, and we-get-it." Harry Connick, Jr., has been a favorite since I saw him in The Memphis Belle whenever that came out. Yee haw.

0944: The Jersey Boys makes me think of someone from the Central Railroad of New Jersey, but these guys probably haven't seen a CNJ train in their life. (Neither have you.---Ed.) I heard a little something about this one on NPR a few weeks back, I think; I'd rather these sorts of things succeed as opposed to Rent or Angels in America. After all, giving the odious Tony Kushner a red smear in the ledger book is a worthy goal.

Walk like a man, eh? Not with a voice like that.

0955: Yay, the Rockettes. Crawling on sunshine? Give me Katrina and the Waves, not this ersatz arrangement. Ack, pfftbt, or whatever, due to M.C. Hammer outtakes for hand sanitizer ads. Nexium ad! It fixes acid reflux, but it might just wreck everything else in your GI system. Visit purplepill.com and nag the licensed professional who knows more than you to prescribe it!

0959: Yay, Harriet Miers is back on screen. At least Lauer sounds like he's trying, while Couric ought to be nicknamed 'The Phonewoman', 'cause she sounds like she's phoning it in.

1000: Hooray for high school bands. They often keep high school football interesting, especially when they get snide in their song choice.

1003: Hmm, Scooby-Doo. I used to watch a lot of that when I was a kid. It is, however, interesting to know that the Scooby-Doo series have made it into the Guinness book of records. One wonders if they're counting The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo in that run.

1008: Rita Coolidge sings for us. Yay? We last heard from her in the 1983 James Bond movie, Octopussy. Bloody Big Bird; the Children's Television Workshop ought to pay a dividend to the Federal government so we can reduce taxation elsewhere. I'd still like to know why the CPB and PBS don't get the profits from Sesame Street and Barney. There's probably a very good reason for it, but all the more reason to complain. It would be nice to avoid the regular PBS fund drives, after all.

1011: Tommy Tune lives? Amazing. Ooh, European train station in the Nikon D50 ad. Yee haw. Have them boarding a TGV Atlantique or something. I hate OnStar ads. If I buy a new GM car, I'll impose a requirement that any such on-board system be ripped out. Hmm, self-propelled weebles. Interesting.

1015: This is amusing trying to hear Couric stumbling over whatever it is; J-pop is....ach. Puffy AmiYumi. Er, right. Give me some Cibo Matto if you must, but this is more than I can stomach. That guy with the guitar looks like he's really happy. Ugh, that purple dinosaur.

1028: Eatin' time. Service will resume when the foodstores are depleted.

1038: We're back, and "Mr. DJ" girl can kindly move along. I'm not particularly concerned where she's from, and ooh, Kristin Chenoweth coming up. Four feet eleven inches of good singing voice. Interesting, Walt Disney World is fifty. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know what's down there, but I heard they canned the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride, so fooey on Eisner.

1041: Note to Estee Lauder's ad people: Gwyneth Paltrow is not superior to Elizabeth Hurley. I saw the former in an ad while out last night, and I thought it was Sheryl Crow. (In case you're wondering, that's not a compliment.)

1044: I do think Rex Harrison makes a better Dr. Doolittle than Tommy Tune. Hmm, Chicken Little. That was an amusing picture, helped much by the presence of Joan Cusack, who I've liked since Grosse Pointe Blank and Toys. Everyone needs a Marcella, and I've known someone who's about as weird as Alsatia.

1047: Interesting how the Disney people got folks who resemble the animated character's they're portraying. Yay.

1057: Yay, it's Kristin Chenoweth! Whatta setta pipes on that gal. Precise diction and the like. We don't care about Oklahoma, but you're doing fine, Kristin.

1101: Hip hop>? Snore. Please go away. Likewise to the Telemundo types. 'The Click Five' can kindly move along now; I don't care. On the other hand, Hess gasoline is always good to see publicized.

1105: Enh, bilingual Latina adventurer. Snore; I could care less. Here's Natasha Bedingfield. Please go away. See the Statue of Liberty? Go past that and keep heading east. We'll have a place for you at Southampton or London Heathrow.

1110: Hooray, the NYPD and the FDNY. When I was in NYC for the parade, it was nifty to see those guys standing around in the heavy double-breasted jackets. It was like something out of an old movie, but you knew you were safe with those guys around. They were huge. (Of course, nothing surpasses the Virginia State Police for the impression of 'don't mess', so go figure.) Hmm, the obligatory Louisiana mentions. Well, I suppose that makes sense since the clobbering of the Gulf Coast is a very important story.

1115: Couric as queen of the pom-poms? Bah. I thought the cheerleader outfits said "NYP", which brought "New York Pennsylvania Station" to mind. Either I'm going back to sleep, or the parade is not as interesting.

1122: Bring back Mayor McCheese, you dirtbags! Tutenstein? Double-you-tee-eff. Rock and rule with a three thousand year old corpse? Er, no. Funny, shouldn't Egyptian dancers be, well, visually similar to Eygptians?

1124: Gah, Pikachu. An electric rat is about the last thing I need at this point. Where's my whiskey?

1129: Hmm, a Miss USA. Yay. This parade brough to you by the Potato Board. Give me a Darth Tater anyways. Couric, you're casually invited to kill the bad puns. Don't you have any editorial control?

1132: Aaron Neville, you're so cutting-edge for having a tattoo on your face. That's so cool. Maybe when I grow up, I can have one of those, too. And a beret, too!

1141: Brian Wilson is wearing a Yankees hat. Well, down with him. Frog or supermodel? Depends. If I want a phone call, I'll go with Kermit the Frog. If I want a wake-up nudge, I'll go with Carolyn Murphy. Sorry, Frog.

1144: Cheetah Girls? Uh, whatever.

1147: If I understand Couric correctly, the M&M balloon was not displayed live. Well, safety first. Pillsbury Doughboy, hooray. Carrie Underwood sings an eminently forgettable song. I can't say that it's a very good one.

1154: Hmm, The Polar Express. Any parade can be improved by the presence of a replica Nickel Plate Berkshire. Bah, losing signal can make you worried. Twice in the last minute, we've gone to blue screen. One worries when live events get hit by this; I'm reminded of a scene from the new Galactica wherein you see static on one side of a split screen, and someone being buffeted by the winds from an atomic detonation shortly before being caught in the blast themselves. (You've seen too many movies on nuclear war.---Ed.)

1157: Yay, Santa Claus. Thanks to Macy's, the National Broadcasting Corporation, and all the telecast sponsors for making this possible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of y'all; I'll be back later in the week 'cause now it's time for an over-the-road trip to the relatives. Yee haw.

Notice of Upcoming Service

If all goes well, I will be providing live coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The telecast begins at 0900 Eastern, on the National Broadcasting Company's affiliates.

Yee haw.

Melvin Laird Makes Waves(?)

Forwarded for your consideration:

Fred Barnes writing in The Weekly Standard. Mr. Barnes' piece is inspired by an article in the foreign policy journal Foreign Affairs, written by Nixon Administration Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird.

I'm reading this now, and will cobble together my thoughts on the Laird piece some time tomorrow.

ACC/SEC Roundup 19 NOV 2005

This week's winners and commentary, brought to you in part by Powdermilk Biscuits. Heavens, they're tasty!

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Georgia Tech defeats Miami: Good. As stated before, Miami exists to do one thing, and that is to sledgehammer Virginia Tech. Having done that, I don't care what else happens to them. The Georgia Tech defense did rather well tonight, and my (Red Sox) hat is off to them.

Virginia Tech defeats the University of Virginia: Who Cares. The outcome of this game was foreordained quite a while back. I listened to maybe forty-five seconds of it on the radio while driving around.

Clemson defeats South Carolina: Bad. I know that I called the Gamecocks to win this one in a previous post, but I started getting very uncomfortable once I saw such a low score. Your prognosticator had an unwelcome suspicion that Clemson would win a close game. Rats.

Boston College defeats Maryland: Good. Although I have nothing against the Terrapins, BC might do more with that win than Maryland.

North Carolina defeats Duke: Who Cares. In a couple of months, this is an important matchup. When in November and where there is no Coach K, this game isn't worth turning to, save for alumni.

North Carolina State defeats Middle Tennessee: Who Cares. I should hope that the Wolfpack could pull that off.

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Louisiana State defeats Mississippi: Who Cares. Another predestined victory.

Auburn defeats Alabama: No Call. This appears to have been a good game---I didn't get to see any of it---and I'm glad to see the Tide having a good year. I'm certain that Auburn will continue to be a good program, and I wish the Tide the best in the near future.

Georgia defeats Kentucky: Who Cares. The surprise is that Kentucky scored.

Arkansas defeats Mississippi State: Ouch. The battle of the back markers is decisively concluded by the Razorbacks.

Vanderbilt defeats Tennessee: Fantastic It is a glorious---but highly strange---day in the SEC when Vanderbilt finishes better than Tennessee. Rocky Flop, baby! Between this and the Georgia Tech win, I have had two good games today.

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Enh, not much else went on. I really need to get some sort of comprehensive system to watch more of these games. Curses and so forth for Herbstreit & Corso picking Clemson.

UPDATE: There is, after all, a reason why I'm not employed by ESPN or some other sports broadcast outlet for football coverage. That reason is that I'm not very good at it.

Breaking SEC Score Celebration

Yeeeeeeeeeeee haw.

The Vanderbilt Commodores defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 28-24 in Knoxville! Take that, Big Orange! Joyful joyful, we adore thee, dude who picked off Clauuuusen..."

Perhaps, in the spirit of Spurrier, you can't spell "OUT OF BOWL CONTENTION" without the letters "UT". Heh heh heh. We shall see.

What's 16 Months Between Friends?

Oops.

I was hunting back through the mail archives and noticed that I missed a notice from the Adam Smith Institute of their relocation. I quickly zipped over to the blogroll (hosted by Blogrolling) and added/updated their location.

Alex, if you ever see this, I'm sorry for not getting that done sooner. Thanks for having me linked at one point in time.

West Virginia Bans High-Proof Alcohol

The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration has chosen to ban high-proof grain alcohol.

The interesting thing about this is that the move appears (on the face of the single article) to have been the product of pressure from post-secondary education. While certainly an area of concern, I'm honestly surprised that the WVABCA did what they did because a couple of college administrators asked. That seems to be the reason, at least from the article.

The amusing thing about all this is that there's really no reason for students at the University of Charleston to worry. They've got their own alternate source of high caliber liquid poison, known to the rest of us as the Kanawha River. Drink up! If it doesn't eat your throat on the way down, the pleasurable sensations from dying organs ought to keep you in a blissful state for hours. That is, until the coma sets in.

As for those in Huntingon and Morgantown, they'll have to make do with moonshine. I am certain that the County of Franklin can supply all their needs in that regard.

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Tip of the Wisconsin hat to KLO@NRO. (This got left out the first time around. Sorry 'bout that.)

Newsmax Poll

The loathsomely commercial "news" organization, Newsmax, is running a Presidential preference poll.

The poll is centered around former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani and "his 2008 presidential aspirations". Additionally, the poll's lead-in says, "Many polls show Rudy Giuliani as one of the leading prospects for the GOP in 2008. We want to know what you really think. Key media and others want to know your opinion about Rudy Giuliani. Vote today!"

Y'all want my vote? You got it, but you won't like the results. My responses, and the suggested responses for all y'all, below:

1) What is your overall opinion of Rudy Giuliani?
[] Favorable [*] Unfavorable [] No Opinion

2) Is Rudy Giuliani your candidate for president in 2008?
[] Yes [*] No ("Hell no" was not an option.)

3) In the following field, who is your 2008 candidate?
[] John McCain [] Condi Rice [] Jeb Bush
[] Mitt Romney [] Rudy Giuliani [*] George Allen
[] Other

4) If the 2008 President race was between Rudy Giuliani & Hillary Clinton, who would you vote for?
[*] Rudy Giuliani [] Hillary Clinton (Not that I want any New Yorkers running this country...)

5) Who did you vote for in the 2004 election?
[*] George Bush [] John Kerry []Other

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The midwest has had its chance, and I'd prefer not to be led by a Northeasterner or yet another Bush family member. It's time for a Virginian to lead our Republic.

Llama & Hobbes

You scored as Mom and Dad. You are Calvin's mom and dad. Though sometimes Calvin drives you wild, you manage to keep him under control, and sometimes you even get rewards from it. Sometimes... What Calvin & Hobbes character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

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Getting the same answer as Robbo is probably grounds to go leap off a bridge. However, if I can get the same answer as him, perhaps I could substitute myself for him in this picture. "Hey baby, I really dig your national high-speed rail network. Let us consider the existential questions of the deeper meaning of the TGV system..."

Vive le France!

New Portishead Album Still in the Works

Previously, I related to you that there was another Portishead album in the works. That was 25 February 2005. Nearly nine months have gone by, and now I've got a spot of egg on my face. Or do I?

I drifted back over to pheadweb and saw the entry for 02 September 2005, which said the following:

"As you already know, the good new is the upcoming Portishead release. Be sure to know that the site will have all the updates about the new album when it's ready or if there's anything else fans need to know."

There's no further information immediately available from their news page, but hope springs eternal. Perhaps I'll have the eerie intonations of Beth Gibbons floating through my headphones again before too long. Yee haw.

Originally saved at 00:03:44, 14th November 2005.

South Carolina-Clemson Prediction

Courtesy of Laurin Manning, we have a report announcing the cable broadcast of the South Carolina-Clemson game. A quick peek over at the South Carolina athletics site confirms this, with further detail coming from the Greenville News.

The game will be broadcast from 1900 hours on 19 November 2005 on ESPN2. For those of us not in the Palmetto State, coverage will switch to LSU-Mississippi after 1945 hours. Yahoo! will have an audio broadcast of the game here, with pre-game starting at 1730 hours.

I am of course for the ol' ball coach, and my amateur prognostications suggest that the Gamecocks might pull this one off. Analysis below the fold:

My method is extremely simple, and relies solely upon a comparison of schedule, score, and my impressions of their respective opponents. I am, after all, an amateur. To my points:

-The SEC leaders are doing than their ACC counterparts right now. This metric could change week-to-week, but Alabama and Auburn, followed closely by Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and LSU have each gotten five wins (or more) in the SEC. Conversely, only FSU, Miami-Florida, and Virginia Tech have done so in the ACC. This might point towards more parity in the ACC, but this might be irrelevant for the purposes of this game. However, South Carolina is one of the last two five win teams, having 3 losses. Thus, they're at the back of the lead pack. With that being said, they are in the lead pack. Advantage: South Carolina

-When losing, Clemson doesn't get blown out: Eighteen points---the number necessary to achieve victory in their four losses---separate the Tigers from a perfect season. South Carolina, on the other hand, has either squeaked by (excepting Troy) for victory, or gets thumped, if you subtract Georgia. Advantage: Clemson

-South Carolina is riding a five-game winning streak, including wins against Tennessee and Florida. Clemson is riding a two-game winning streak, one against FSU and one against Duke. But for two points against Georgia Tech, Clemson would have a five-game winning streak. However, two of those wins are against doormat teams, Duke and NC State. The two back marker wins for South Carolina have been against teams that aren't in the basement of the SEC, where Mississippi and Mississippi State reside. Momentum helps. Advantage: South Carolina.

-Steve Spurrier v. Tommy Bowden. One man has a national championship already. The other does not. Advantage: South Carolina

For the foregoing reasons, I believe that the Evil Genius will prevail over the Son of Bowden and deliver a victory for the Gamecocks in Columbia. Furthermore, I do not believe that either team will blow the other out.

On the Release of David Gunn

Last week, Amtrak's depleted board of directors fired the passenger system's president, David Gunn.

I of course am not impressed with this action, because I was impressed with David Gunn. I hadn't seen a negative thing about him in various profiles and the like, and although I'm not an industry participant, I figured him to be qualified for the job. Conversely, Norman Mineta had been pretty much on my 'losers list' over issues of airport security. Several watchdogs had caught Mineta in what were either considerable errors or outright lies in his public statements regarding Amtrak, and this reduced Mr. Mineta's credibility to zero in my eyes.¹

Anyways, there's a large brouhaha from Congressional representatives along the Northeast Corridor about Gunn's firing, and the best place that I can think of to keep track of it is Rip Track.² I'm willing to bet that Rip has dealt with Amtrak under Gunn's predecessor, George Warrington (now heading New Jersey Transit) as well, so some sort of comparison can probably be made. Rip has already commented upon working with Gunn's Amtrak; see here.

It probably goes without saying that I support Mr. Gunn's plans for an improved Amtrak, and do not favor the President's.

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¹ Not that my opinion of Mr. Mineta matters; he serves at the pleasure of the President, and I doubt that George W. Bush cares what I think.

² "The Northeast Corridor" is defined, more or less, as the ex-Penn Central line from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to South Station, in Boston, Massachusetts, and various States inbetween. Go Sox!

Originally, Washington-Boston service was a joint effort by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. Both were components of the Penn Central merger; the New Haven arrived in 1969 after its creditors successfully sued for inclusion. Thanks for nothing, Patrick McGinnis.

2005 CMA, NYC

The last three letters in this post's title sum the whole bloody thing up. I was suspicious of this entire awards show going in, and it appears that my pre-suspicion was warranted.

A preface: I don't listen to a lot of country music, for whatever reason. I like Johnny Cash and Charlie Daniels, having seen the latter in concert a couple of times. Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, and Deana Carter fill the front ranks in the women, and there you have it. It helps that I grew up in the rural South and went to a lot of county fairs as a child. On the other hand, Gretchen Wilson's schtick tends to send me scrambling for the frequency knob on my car's radio.

With that being said, I may have taken myself out of any authoritative position to write this entry, but enh. If authoritative positions were a requisite for blog posting, then there'd be a lot less bloggin' goin' on. Take my words for what you will, but I will defiantly maintain that, having been to both of them, Nashville is not New York. (And thank God that it isn't!) I knew there was trouble when NASCAR seemed to care more about New York than North Wilkesboro (if you'll pardon the phraseology) but for the CMAs to be held in the capital of the culture that hates country music, well, er, fire off a few railroad torpedoes and have the red lanterns flapping.

To make this entry short, Aaron Keith Harris got an NRO Comment wherein he let the country music industry have it for their errant ways. The only thing I'd quibble with is his swipe at Martina McBride, but then again, the woman does seem to be fond of her ballads.¹

I didn't watch the whole thing, seeing as how I was preparing the post about the N&W's 500-car coal train and watching snippets of the Akron-Ohio game, but I did manage to catch some of the low points. I had to watch in disbelief for a few seconds to see that stupid Bon Jovi smiley face to really drive home that yes, Bon Jovi was performing at the CMAs. Great googly moogly! Jon, the er, "Blaze of Glory" was quite some time ago. In more ways than one.

While I'm at it, isn't the deliberate use of Dolly Parton and Elton John in a duet grounds for some sort of felony indictment? I mean, come on, folks...

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¹ She's good-looking enough to get away with it, too. Yee haw.

Norfolk and Western History

15 November 1967: The Norfolk and Western Railway operates the then-longest train in the world, 500 loaded hoppers of coal from Iaeger, West Virginia, to Portsmouth, Ohio.

Sure it's another success for Precision Transportation, but so what? Here's what: Five hundred hoppers loaded with coal plus six locomotives (EMD SD45 with the high hood, each rated at 3600 horsepower) and a single cabin car equals 21,424.75 feet. In other words, that's over four miles of train, hauling 48,000+ tons of coal. For comparison, modern unit trains of coal "tend" to max out at around 130 or so hoppers of similar size.¹ Forty-eight thousand tons is more than the standard displacement of an Iowa-class battleship, so make of that what you will.

I doubt this effort was repeated, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone else tried it. My source for this post indicates that the train topped out at 20MPH, for whatever reason. I am neither an employee of a railway nor am I particularly good at operations, but I would bet that such a train would probably be more trouble than it's worth, for the following reasons:

1. Unless you're running said train on something akin to the Pennsylvania Railroad's four-track mains (or the similar facilities of the New York Central), one could forget passing this train. I've never heard of a twenty-five thousand foot siding, and I'd hate to be the poor SOB responsible for walking this train to check all the car brakes. "Rock breaks scissors, you lose." "When I get back to this locomotive, you die."

2. Talk about swamping the receiving facilities. "Yeah, I'm, uh, gonna need you guys to come in on Saturday..." I'm not sure what's in Portsmouth, Ohio, but I wouldn't bet on facilities to handle such existing there in 1967. Maybe Lambert's Point could handle that at some point, but I don't know.

3. Costs of operation. When trains are slow, costs go up. Look at it this way: A high-priority intermodal train is often allowed to run around 60MPH, if not faster. A crew can work a maximum of twelve hours. Under absolutely optimal conditions, that's 720 miles of travel per crew. (This never happens, for a variety of reasons.) Compare our 500-car train. It tops out at 20MPH, for whatever reason. In the absolute optimum, that's 240 miles of travel per crew. To equal the distance of one intermodal train, you'd have to pay three crews, not to mention the guys who had to get the crews to the train, wherever it tied down at. This gets rather expensive.

Almost all the information that you could desire about this operation was dug up from a posting to bit.listserv.railroad back in 1996.

Hooray for Google Groups and congratulations to the Akron Zips as they defeat the University of Ohio Bobcats. Why this? Because I watched some of it while trying to compose this post.

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¹ I'm not entirely sure what the aluminum hoppers that the UP and BN&SF use are capable of carrying, nor am I entirely sure what the NSR's Top Gons are capable of. One dimly remembered reference suggests that the capacity is similar to the traditional "100 ton hopper", but that the car itself is lighter, which makes for less wear-and-tear on the track and so forth. Once again, Rip will know more about this than I do.

A day at the Virginia Museum of Transportation suggested the 130 number; I did roll-by counts for the heck of it on a few trains and got that several times. The viewing angle I had didn't let me see into the cars to check for loads, and I didn't think to check the springs on the trucks.

Take That, Matt Rose

If you read Trains magazine (and you should), you're probably aware that in January 2005, Matt Rose, the head of the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Company, chose to retitle his railway. In the words of the ancient Crusader knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he chose poorly. Mr. Rose and his board determined that 'BNSF Railway' was what the Fort Worth-based company needed to be named to answer the challenges of the new century.

Said Mr. Rose, ""BNSF has identified itself as progressive, vital, approachable and resourceful -- a strong part of the global transportation network. As we look to the future, we believe that our identity should reflect those core attributes. We are excited about this new identity as we believe it reflects our future as a leader in transportation service and innovation, as well as the growth of BNSF Railway and its contributions to the global transportation network".

Now, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, so I'm not exactly sure where one gets 'progressive, vital, approachable, and resourceful' from "BSNF Railway". If I were a shipper, I'd more probably think "trend-chasing, poorly focused, and wasteful" to spend what the BN&SF probably did to get this logo. (On the other hand, it wasn't as stupid as 'Verizon'.) Call me crazy, but I don't see how changing your name to 'BNSF Railway' reflects your place in the 'global transportation network'. Not that I really care; the only modern railway I care for is headquartered in Norfolk, and hopefully wouldn't do something so bone-headed.

Anyways, to make a long story short, the BN&SF has had approximately ten months to tell the world that it's now reflecting its place in the global transportation network with its new identity and yackety schmackety. Meanwhile, David Gunn has been fired, and there may be lawsuits over it. Amtrak stockholders are potentially involved here, and what does the New York Times call Mr. Rose's railway?

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Ha ha ha.

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Yes, this is probably a juvenile entry.

Railroad Quiz Results

A quiz after my own heart, lifted from bluepyramid.org.

Yee haw.

Norfolk and Western History

14 November 1955: The Norfolk and Western Railway initiates piggyback service from Bristol, Virginia, to points in the Northeast. This service came five days after the Pennsylvania Railroad, the N&W, and the Rail-Trailer Company of Chicago, Illinois incorporate the Trailer Train Company.¹

My source (albeit a PRR one) indicates that "[m]any small towns had their own ramp for 'circus style' loading". Compared to somewhere like Philadelphia or Harrisburg, Bristol qualifies as a small town. My source in the Bristol area says that he's never seen anything like a TOFC ramp, but admits that he wouldn't recognize one anyways.

I've never actually seen a vintage TOFC car, but I do believe that the Virginia Museum of Transportation may actually have a first- or second-generation example. It's not linked at their website, and I don't have any digital images of it.

The Trailer Train Company would later include a lot of railroads amongst its stockholders. This was a move to avoid demurrage charges, which arose when one road's railcars were left on another road's property. It may have been calculated on a per day or per week basis; sources seem to conflict on this. Basically put, demurrage is like a late fee for a boxcar.²

Anyways, the creation of TOFC/Container on Flat Car service would lead to the intermodal trains of today, which whistle along the paths once trod by trains like the Powhatan Arrow and the Broadway Limited. TOFC service was a desperate (and apparently successful) strike at over-the-road truckers who had been wrenching market share from the railroads for at least a quarter century at that point (1955).

While the Pennsylvania Railroad vanished into history on 01 February 1968, the Trailer Train Company survives today, as the TTX Company. If you're even just a casual observer of railroad operations, you've probably seen a TTX-owned well car, a RailBox ("Next Load/Any Road") boxcar, or one of their RailGons. Hats off to Trailer Train for their half-century of success! (Notice their 50th anniversary logo; the PRR's stylistic influence lives on with a sleek keystone.)

UPDATE: I looked back at my post on this subject in 2004, and found something interesting. My correspondent in the Bristol area can't figure out where the TOFC ramp would have been, but this fellow appears to have located the thing in his layout designs. I sent the map of the N&W Bristol yard to my man in the Bristol area, and he's come up short as to where it might have been. It's been half a century since this existed, and there's been plenty of time for things to have been removed.

For what it's worth, I would have enjoyed seeing an N&W "A" 2-6-6-4 pull a TOFC train.

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¹ The N&W was a logical partner for this venture, inasmuch as the PRR held something like a third of N&W stock at this point. The PRR derived a lot of income from the N&W dividends, and would sorely miss that revenue after 1968. The Interstate Commerce Commission would order the divestiture of the PRR's N&W holdings from 1965 forward as a result of the N&W/Wabash/Nickel Plate/AC&Y mergers, and final divestiture was necessary for the PRR/NYCS/NYNH&H merger creating the ill-fated Penn Central Transportation Company.

² I'm sure that the Superintendent of the Cold Spring Shops or Rip will correct me on this if I'm wrong.

Considerable information for this post was gleaned from the Keystone Crossings website.

Tinkering Under the Car Body

Yes friends, there are a few cosmetic changes afoot here. After two years, I finally figured out a couple of visual schemes to implement and I'm starting to work on one of them. I don't really know what I'm doing other than trial-and-error, 'cause my HTML knowledged topped out somewhere around 1997.

I need to implement the three-column layout and a few other things, but I can't translate any of the readily available tutorials into viable solutions. Thus, things may look screwy here from time to time. My long-range hope is to have themes that can be selected by either a single click or a pull-down tab. The themes aren't all that complicated, but they are beyond my operational capabilities.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Radio Country Pundit

The Country Pundit is always interested in providing a more pleasurable experience for customers, and as such is pleased to announce the opening of yet another chapter in the TCP experience. Without further adieu, Radio Country Pundit.

It serves as the soundtrack arm of this publication, and features artists who the publisher either listens to or is favorably inclined towards. The publisher has been working on the playlist(s) for a while, and believes it close enough to release-ready. Any feedback is appreciated.

Not quite the same as Radio Caroline, but in the same spirit. Of sorts. Enjoy!

NOTE: The publisher is over eighteen and the playlist reflects this. There is an excellent chance that material considered objectionable by some will be broadcast.

History Repeats Itself

The Superintendent of the Cold Spring Shops reminds me that SS Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with all hands on 10 November 1975. His entry was, of course, timely and contained informative links. See here for my previous entry, also made two days after the anniversary. Interesting.

Users of the Microsoft Train Simulator can sort of get in on the ore-hauling action (including delivering to ore docks with lake boats similar in appearance to Edmund Fitzgerald) by purchasing Michigan Iron Ore: The Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad.

Tip of the Wisconsin hat to the Superintendent.

ACC/SEC Roundup So Far (And the Update)

As far as I am concerned, there are two conferences in this country for NCAA Division I college football, namely the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference. Thus, a brief recap of scores and a little worthless commentary.

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Clemson beats the Florida State University: Good. I hate FSU.

Virginia beats Georgia Tech: Good. I've got nothing against the Ramblin' Wreck, but I'm from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and loyalty to Virginia demands a cheer.

Miami beats Wake Forest: Bad. I've loathed Miami for years and I thought about going to Wake Forest once. Miami serves to sledgehammer Virginia Tech, and that's a good thing. Other than that, I've got no use for the Hurricanes.

Maryland defeats North Carolina: Good. I've got zero ties to Maryland, but it's the ancestral home of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Western Maryland Railway, so we like them.

The North Carolina State University leading Boston College: Bad. For some reason, I have a soft spot in my heart for BC. It might be because Clancy's Jack Ryan got his degree there.

UPDATE: Boston College defeats NCSU: Good.

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South Carolina beats Florida: Good. I used to like Florida but Spurrier was the reason. Viva the ol' ball coach, and see here for the AP article on the game. I figure Laurin Manning will be happy.

Alabama loses to the Louisiana State University: Bad. I grew up learning to cheer for the Tide, since they used to dismantle Tennessee in the 1980s.

Arkansas defeats Mississippi: Who Cares. I don't have anything against Mississippi, but this appears to have been a battle of two back marker teams.

Kentucky beats Vanderbilt: Bad. I like Kentucky at some level---hey, I'm a sucker for Ashley Judd in a Kentucky hockey jersey---but I have to cheer for Vanderbilt. Why's that? They're usually an SEC doormat, and I like to see the doormats come forward.

Tennessee beats Memphis: Bad. I hate Tennessee, and laugh at their athletic misfortune. Congratulations, you guys beat an unranked lesser school by a grand total of four points.

Georgia leading Auburn: Bad. I have no particular love for either team, but the best picture for South Carolina involves a Georgia loss. Waaaar eagle(s), in that case.

UPDATE: Auburn defeats Georgia: Good, for the foregoing reasons.

MODERN EDIT: A lot of traffic comes my way looking for Ashley Judd in a Kentucky hockey jersey. We shall chum the Google waters in search of hits!

Virginia's Elections, Take 1

Harrumph. I'm right hacked off about the recent Virginia election results, and with good reason. I managed to avoid falling headlong into a drunken stupor about the whole thing simply 'cause I reckoned that I'd find myself quoted in a local paper calling T.M. Kaine something unprintable.

Such an appearance would, of course, be immediately followed by an editorial tsk-ing "drunken Republicans for their lack of bipartisanship in launching unwarranted attacks against progressive candidates" or somesuch. Keeping that in mind, I (wisely) chose to avoid the whiskey.

After stewing for a couple of days, I thought of something literary as an inspiration for a one-liner response to the results. It is inspired by the Tom Clancy/Larry Bond novel Red Storm Rising, one of my all-time favorites.¹

I can't find either of my copies at the moment, so some details will be approximate, but here goes: The US Navy (personified by Ed Morris and his ship) has escorted an eastbound convoy to resupply NATO forces. The Soviets (through their subs and bombers) have picked off several ships in the convoy. Morris wonders how the merchantmen are holding up, and he gets his answer by way of blinker light.

I don't have a blinker light, but let me echo the sentiment of the unnamed merchie:

"THANKS FOR NOTHING, NAVY NORTHERN VIRGINIA"

No, I'm not bitter. Once the irritation wears off, I intend to write a little something approaching a vague manifesto for what the Tories might've called "The Way Forward".

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¹ So favored that I wound up calling my 'commander' file in M1 Tank Platoon II 'Terry Mackall'; moreover, I was tempted to dub my helo driver(s) in Jane's Fleet Command as 'Jerry the Hammer'. It is, however, sad to note that my favorite-named submarine in the novel doesn't make it out.

Norfolk and Western History

12 November 1870: The Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad is founded by Major General William T. Mahone, CSA (ret.) from three predecessor roads in Virginia. The AM&O stretched from Norfolk to Bristol, and is still largely in use by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

The AM&O is the direct corporate ancestor of the Norfolk and Western Railroad--- which in turn would become the Norfolk and Western Railway---which came into existence after the AM&O's sale at foreclosure in 1881.

As always, initial information for this came from the Norfolk and Western Historical Society calendar.

The Red Sox Links Entry

In lieu of maintaining something over in the sidebar, I decided to centralize all Red Sox linking functions via means of a single entry. Therefore, you'll click over on a single link in the sidebar, and see what your humble correspondent uses to participate in Red Sox Nation.¹ This list will probably be dynamic, so check back occasionally. Additional posts will usually signify added content.

redsox.com - The official MLB-hosted site. It's downright hideous to look at, but one does get the company spin from it, for what that's worth.

The Soxaholix - A profane clip-art cartoon keeping track of the team and what not. Highly recommended for those over the age of 18.

Soxblog - Doesn't just cover the Red Sox, but does do it well. Currently, there's a rather in-depth take (defense of Larry Lucchino?) on the departure of Theo Epstein from the front office.

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¹ Try saying that without rolling your eyes. For what it's worth, I haven't ponied up for one of the 'official memberships' and I don't intend to. I don't need Larry Lucchino's approval to root for them, after all.

A Projected Return to Normalcy

Notice to patrons:

This site is now the primary location for this publication. All subsequent operations will be here; all updates will occur here unless an outage occurs.

This site will be brought back on line, slowly but surely. That is all.