Ten Lords A'Leaping

Trying to get this up before the new X Files starts in a few minutes...  I wanted to call this an early single from Jimmie Davis, but checking out his discography, I see stuff going back into the Twenties, so 1953 is hardly early.  I was previously only aware of his two 1960's vintage Christmas albums, and a single Christmas track from the '80s, so this came as quite the surprise when I found it.  For those who don't recognize the name, Jimmie Davis was a country singer who later turned to more religious fare, in the meantime serving two non-consecutive terms as governor of Louisiana.  Not a bad CV!  I don't believe that either of these tracks turned up in his later work, though I did spot a 1957 Christmas single that appears to have been re-recorded on one of his two holiday LPs.  And the songs here are pretty good, I was quite happy about what I found when the needle hit the groove.  This is Jimmie Davis-Christmas Choo Choo b/w I Love To Ride With Santa Claus (Decca 7" 45 RPM 9-28912, Mono, 1953).  You'll notice that the Anita Kerr Singers are credited on side 1.  I guess they are the ones making the train noises... If you want more train songs for Christmas, you can visit my earlier post this year, or maybe head on over to Lee's place for one of his shares earlier this season.

Zippyshare

Saluda Grade

While I'm in the mood for some posting, here's a sign from Saluda, North Carolina, marking the steepest standard gauge mainline railway in the country.  Lots of disclaimers there, but the biggest one they left off is the fact that this stretch of rail hasn't been used in years and years, and would probably need some work before it could be used again.  Saluda is at the top end of the grade, and the other end is in Tryon, the small town where my dad grew up.  We were visiting a couple months ago prior to my grandmother's funeral.

Metro Station

Sometimes I take pictures of odd things for no good reason. This is the DC Metro station at New Carrollton, I think, or at least the parking garage next to it. It's the last stop on the Orange line, at the Eastern end, and that's where I usually got dropped off in the mornings for my train ride into DC. They did a cool job of decorating what is usually a bland, boring concrete structure.

And unlike most train stations where time is of critical importance, this station features a giant clock.

Unfortunately, this clock is of little help if you actually need to know what time it is.  'A' for effort, 'F' for execution.

Where To Start

I saw so much during this trip to DC, I hardly know where to begin. I guess I'm going to just do something roughly chronological, so here's the view through an outside corridor at Union Station when I first got off the Metro in town. I love these sorts of shots, but I don't know exactly how to make them work. Maybe I should crop it so that it begins inside the long string of archways... And is it a better shot with the people in it than without? This might be a good candidate for High Dynamic Range photography, but I don't think would let me use a tripod among all the scurrying people.

Charlotte Choo Choo

Aha! I did have a picture of the Charlotte (NC) commuter rail. I don't think it ever goes underground, so I can't call it a subway. This was at a stop right in downtown, sometime last August. Lynx, I think they call it. I told you I liked to take pictures of subways and trains. :)

Another Anniversary

Happy 41st wedding anniversary to Mom and Dad! Yes, they've been together for a long time now. That's them posing in front of the steam locomotive we rode earlier this year. And either last year or the year before, I believe I showed you one of their wedding photos. Nope, that was four years ago. My, how time flies when you're having fun.

Under McCormick Place

Ah, I knew I had pictures of the Chicago trains somewhere. Here's a shot of the train approaching the station under McCormick Place from March 2008. No doubt that poor engineer wondered why some tourist was pointing a camera at him. The line I rode in Chicago was all on the ground or under it. I didn't get a chance to ride the elevated trains, but I did get some pictures...

Old Cabbagehead

Here's a local landmark that I haven't shot in a long time and I don't think I've ever shared here at the blog. This is Old Cabbagehead, a steam locomotive that has sat in Bradenton, Florida, for many years. It used to be on the downtown waterfront, but they moved it some years ago to the local historical village where it sat in back for quite a while, and where I last saw it. More recently, they put a coat of thick black paint on it and moved it to a nice spot out front, which is where these pictures came from. You can climb up in it if you want, and pretend you're highballin' it down the Eastern Seaboard toward the Seven Mile Bridge and Key West.

I think this locomotive has been on display now longer than it was in active service. Let me check out that assumption. I know she was built in 1913, but when was she pulled out of service and put on display? Ah, November, 1954. So she was in service for 41 years and has now been out of service for 55 years, so I was correct.

Just in case you wonder why it's called Old Cabbagehead, take a look at the main smokestack on the front. Many smokestacks were just a straight pipe, but this one has the odd shape that reminded someone of a cabbage. I assume the shape has something to do with a spark arresting device, but I'm just guessing here. If you want to go see her, pay a visit to the Manatee Village Historical Park sometime. They've got plenty of other neat old stuff to look at as well.

I Hear The Train A Comin'

I knew there was a train down there somewhere. I put my ear to the rail, but couldn't hear it.

Yep, there's a train! A steam locomotive in fact. Don't see those around too often.

And she's got a full head of steam, flying along as fast as she can go on these poor old out-of-shape tracks.

Certainly not something you see everyday, at least any more.

Don't Sleep In The Subway

When I was in NYC last fall around September 11th, I took the subway just about everywhere that I didn't walk. I'll admit that I was nervous about it at first, but after riding the commuter rails in Las Vegas, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago and Cleveland, it wasn't all that bad. I even got a car all to myself one morning (I think it was early Saturday, go figure...), so I was able to take a quick picture. I think it was only empty for a single stop. I was too self-conscious to take any pictures in a car when there was anybody else in there. They must clean these things at night, because this car looks spotless. They can't stay that clean after a long day of service.

Helpful Advice

Many of you have written in to Ernie (Not Bert) and asked what you can do to stop rampant train theft. I guess in some parts of the country, it's just not safe to leave your steam locomotive parked on the tracks while you duck into Wal-Mart for a few minutes, even if you bring your coal in with you. But what can you do? Well, how about the new and improved Chock-O-Matic? This little device works much like a boot for your car, only it locks up the main drive wheels of your locomotive tighter than a drum, keeping the bad guys from riding off in your steam-powered, 80,000 pound, 80 year old locomotive. Call today for more information!