#Nickel Plate Road

[20th-century-railroading]

Nickel Plate Road 1500hp FM H12-44 No.153 built 4/58 one of twenty-two (134-155) owned by the NKP. Number 153 was in yard service at Toledo, Ohio on August 2, 1963. Photo by Howard Ameling

[collinthenychudson]

"High Speed Freight"

Several miles east of Fort Wayne, Nickel Plate Road 723 thunders through northern Indiana with a westbound freight heading for Chicago.

Models and Route by: K&L Trainz, Jointed Rail, Auran and Download Station

[aryburn-trains]

The Golden Spike Centennial Limited Glen Carbon, IL May 15, 1969

[princessisnikki]

[railwayhistorical]

Happenstance and Heritage

While on the road today, I saw a diminutive train along an unknown line and made chase.

I got ahead of it and pulled into what turned out to Plymouth, Indiana. There I saw another line running more or less perpendicular, supposed a crossing to exist, and made for that. I was able to set up so that I could showcase the ancient Pennsy home signal, still doing its job after what I would suppose to be greater than a century.

I'm standing on what was once the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, which was part of the Pennsy of course (and now operated as the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern). Our little train is on what was the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, which became part of the New York Central and later the Nickel Plate (and is now operated by the Elkhart & Western).

The little train appeared to be powered by one Paducah geep on each end, with but a few cars in between. After it trundled away, I took an additional shot of the decaying station along the Pennsy, which can be seen lurking in the background of the first few images.

To add to the rail history in this spot, Rail Guide (a fabulous website where one can track down the heritage of any rail line in the US) says the the Panhandle (also part of the Pennsy) crossed here as well, creating a triple crossing. Go to the pull down menu under "maps" and click "early owners".

Five images by Richard Koenig; taken November 13th 2024.

[backside-into-the-heavenly]

The Nickel Plate Road 765 during the Indiana Rail Experience America History Train.

[the-sleepy-conductor]

Dumping train photos from the weekend

No seriously. There's a lot

I got to go to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad this weekend and I was in HEAVEN. The last time I paid a visit to CVSR was 6 years ago for Steam In The Valley, and although no steam locomotives will be back until 2025, I was still very happy to get to see and ride these trains.

Before I get bashed for the photos where I stood on the tracks, I was walking on a little trail that required you to cross over the railroad even though the signs say not to. They only have one train running all day and I was stalking its schedule to see what station it would arrive at and what time so I knew it was safe for me and others to cross. This was the Indigo Lake station btw, and I held up my family for a solid 10 minutes just so I could get more pictures of the train when it arrived. I still do not support the idea of farting around on or near tracks or outright walking down the middle of them like they're sidewalks like I've seen a lot of people do.

Safety rant aside, I got to stop by the Buckeye Express on the way home which was AMAZING by the way. Not just in terms of the food, that was delicious, but also because the restaurant is in a literal railcar.

I was too absorbed in all the train stuff around me to take pictures of the interior.

And here's some Steam In The Valley 2018 stuff I never dropped here, just for those steam locomotive lovers like me. As a treat.

I am punching myself for not realizing I only have 1 picture of Nickel Plate Road 765 and everything else I have are videos. I tried several times to upload them here but Tumblr will Not Have It.

And finally, I got myself a new train shirt because my "Who Tooted?" shirt is really starting to wear down after having it a year and a half. I gotta get me a new one. I also got a few bonuses because why not.

That's all I got for now :3

[theoutcastrogue]

8 Fancy Pocket Knives

Etched pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

Silver / mother of pearl Victorian fruit knife, England

Damascene Toledo knife, Spain

Inlaid Toledo knife, Germany

Silver-plated fruit knife, USA

Damascene Toledo knife, Spain

Etched pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

Mother of pearl pocket knife from Eskilstuna, Sweden

@victoriansword [details after the cut]

1) Swedish pocket knife by EKA (Eskilstuna Kniffabriks AB), c. 1980-2000. Model 6 GS (1967-2010), with main blade, bottle opener/screwdriver, pen blade, and nail file. Tang stamp "EKA / SWEDEN" (from 1967), etched handle, 7 cm closed.

These were very popular in the 2nd half of the 20th century as gift knives or advertising knives. They were manufactured by many cutlers in Eskilstuna, and widely exported. The decorative pattern appears, with variations, on Swedish knives from at least the 19th century, and is inspired by Norse / Viking art, which often features twisted serpents/dragons. The interlacing perhaps also borrows from Celtic knots.

2) English fruit knife by Martin Bros & Co, 1848. Silver blade with 4 hallmarks (for Queen Victoria, the year, sterling silver, and Sheffield) and maker's mark, mother of pearl scales, 9.5 cm closed.

This is the posh version of what used to be an incredibly useful tool, a knife (and sometimes a multi-tool knife and fork) for eating on the road. The fancier ones were also status symbols, and very popular gifts – millions of silver fruit knives were manufactured in Britain from the 18th to the 20th century, mostly in Sheffield, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.

3) Spanish Toledo knife, as it's sometimes called, a damascened penknife of recent manufacture. Two pen blades, tang stamp "TOLEDO", 6.7 cm closed.

Not to be confused with Damascus blades! The handle is damascened – decorated with gold inlaid into oxidized steel (see here for details). Reminder that gold is a highly ductile metal (you can stretch it real thin before it breaks), so that impressive aesthetic result comes from a tiny amount of gold. It's a cheap knife, is what I'm saying, for tourists basically.

4) German pocket knife, confusingly also called Toledo, by Hartkopf. With main blade, pen blade and nail file. Brass handle inlaid with oxidised steel. Tang stamp "Hartkopf&Co / Solingen", 8cm closed.

It's "damascened" in the broad sense of inlaying, hence the name "Toledo": it supposedly emulates the Spanish style, and perhaps pretends to be Spanish, but both the metals and the geometric patterns are different. Knives of this type were popular in Germany all through the 20th century as gifts and advertising knives.

5) American fruit knife by William Rogers Mfg, made in Hartford, Connecticut c.1865-1898. Main blade, seedpick [also called nut-pick or nut-picker *snickers*], silver-plated nickel silver, decorated with flowers and apples. Tang stamp: an anchor logo and "Wm ROGERS & SON AA", 8.2 cm closed.

Sometimes fruit knives like this were bought by fruit shops/groceries (relatively fancy ones, presumably) in bulk, and sold or given to customers as gifts.

6) Spanish Toledo penknife (another one). With pen blade and damascened handle, different pattern, probably a bit older. Tang stamp again "TOLEDO", 6.8 cm closed.

7) Swedish pocket knife by Emil Olsson, c. 1920-1950. Blade, pen blade and corkscrew. Tang stamp "EMIL OLSSON / [star logo] / ESKILSTUNA", 9.2 cm closed.

Another etched serpent pattern on the handle, though by now you have to squint to see it. This knife has seen some shit. Until ~1940, pocket knives were widely sold and used in Sweden because they came with corkscrews, and all the bottles had corks, and everyone needed to open bottles. After the war, bottle caps replaced corks for everything except wine, and the pocket knife's utility plummeted, and cutleries started closing. There used to be hundreds, and by now only EKA's left. So statistically, if it's from before ~1950 it saw a lot of use, and if it's after ~1950 it did not, it was a gift or something.

8) Swedish pocket knife by EKA, c.1935-1965. Model 38 PB, with blade, pen blade, flat screwdriver, and corkscrew. Handle with mother of pearl scales and nickel silver bolsters, tang stamp "E.K.A. / ESKILSTUNA / SWEDEN", 8.3 cm closed.

The corkscrew is a quirky one, known as Gottlieb Hammesfahr patent: it pivots on the pin and opens perpendicular to the handle, not pulled downwards as in most pocket knives.

[guerrerense]

Nickel Plate Road por The Milwaukee Road Warrior Por Flickr: A great shot featuring new and old steel. I have no information for this photo, which was on Pinterest. I suspect this may be Frankfort, Indiana but I'm not positive. As always, if its your photo let me know to either credit or remove.

[1863-project]

Looking through your blog, many of your train posting is northeastern focus, which, absolutely fair, love what's around you, but what are some of you favorite non-local trains, historic or modern? Around the US and/or international

Ah, yeah, I'm in Northern New Jersey, so I tend to do a lot of PRR, NYC, Lackawanna, Jersey Central, Erie, etc. (not to mention the NYC Subway, PATH, NJT, etc.). Grew up going to the Strasburg Rail Road a lot as a kid, so in terms of historical railroading, I was exposed to the Pennsy first, and everything else just got picked up as I continued along.

In terms of the rest of the US, I've inherited a fondness for the Nickel Plate Road's Berkshires from my dad. In 2015 we went to Jim Thorpe because 765 was visiting and normally she's not that far east so we couldn't miss out on it.

It was a real treat, we got to walk right up to her and everything.

I also love the streamlining for the Southern Pacific (the Daylight is just gorgeous), everyone knows the Santa Fe (still haven't made that French toast but I swear I will), and the Southern...the green paint on their locomotives...divine. And of course, nobody has a better logo than the Chessie System! I also need to do a big shout-out to the Milwaukee Road, as well, because those Atlantics are a dream drive for me that I'll never get because they're all scrapped. But those timetables make me drool...

Internationally, most people who follow this blog are aware that I'm a huge fan of Sir Nigel Gresley's work with the LNER and have a particular obsession with the A4 Pacifics. Driving one would be a dream come true. I know they won't let me take Mallard out (she hasn't operated since the 1980s anyway), but there's a few A4s that are in operational status, so...I promise I won't immediately go for the speed record or anything.

In terms of modern stuff, I'm also fond of the E5/H5 Shinkansen trainsets. They're gorgeous and they operate so well at high speeds. Keep an eye out for the ALFA-X, though, it's due to dethrone them as the highest speed regularly running Shinkansen trainset if it goes into revenue service!

That's a brief overview - a verrrry brief one - but I'm always excited to see trains from everywhere, especially historical ones. It's genuinely the longest-lasting passion in my life (it's been there for over 30 years now) and I hope it stays that way forever!

[trainbro]

Nickel plate Road 2-8-4 #701 was photographed here between assignments at the Brewster, Ohio terminal on September 20, 1955.

[20th-century-railroading]

Circa '53, Nickel Plate 2-8-4 number 706 drags a fast freight at Frankfort in Indiana. This locomotive was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1934 at the first order of the road's super-power locomotives for the NKP. 

Photograph (c) Raymond Breyer

[theology101]

Im really pissed about all those “‘We can still be friends-‘ no the fuck we can’t” posts because on the very clear and obvious hand, Trump is a fascist and anyone who understands economics, checks and balances and international relationships know that he’ll be a disaster.

But, at the same time, the past few months of honestly celebrating that the Harris campaign did after the first few weeks and especially after the debate (Im just as guilty of it - i was predicting a clear Harris landslide, i had her winning fucking Texas) but we need to do an autopsy of the Harris campaign. I want to preface this by saying it isnt a dealbreaker for me - in spite of the many deficits I think the Harris-Walz ticket - because I voted for her. I knocked on doors for her. But clearly, for a lot of people, dealbreakers that shouldn’t and easily couldn’t have been there were, and if we don’t acknowledge that, we’re never going to win.

So here is my critique of Kamala’s campaign, from the left.

The biggest complaint would be the lack of drilling in on hard issues. We are having a crisis of living in this country, and the primary message of the Harris campaign was “Hey, we’re on the road to recovery and it’s just gonna get better!” So make it a major part of your campaign you want to control prices, rent, etc. As terrible and blatantly obvious as his pr moves were, Trump at McDonalds and in front of a Grocery story was compelling to a lot of americans who are struggling to put food on their plate. A guy who’s saying, in the most fascist strong man way he can, “Only I can fix it.” And when the other guy is saying “Dont worry im working on it,” to the scared and uninformed Trump looks better - obviously any substantive reading of policy makes it clear who’s policies will be better. I Know that - but were there sound bites that could be played ad nausem of Kamala’s policies? As poor of a Businessman he is, Trump is a Salesmen, and Salesmen manipulate, lie and hoodwink people.

What was Kamala’s actual solution to the Border? I know even needing a ‘solution’ is couched in liberalism legalese but instead of a concrete campaign promise, she would rightfully say “Hey, Trump’s plan is insane and he sabotaged mine.” I know that’s true, but why not make that part of your campaign instead of allowing him to manipulate control of the situation. Did any democrat in congress try to reintroduce that bill? If so; why the hell wasn’t that blasting on Fox News and NPR? Don’t make Trump defend his past killing of the hill, make him say “are you going to support this democratic bill that your people like?” Did she say “we’re going to crackdown on losses of jobs to low-wage migrants (by giving them the same protections as American citizen workers because then it isnt just cheaper to nickel and dime the undocumented workers)” or did she just keep playing that former hit? Because while I heard “Ethnic cleansing” a lot of working class people who have lost their jobs to this labor (and dont blame the people responsible, their corporate overlords) heard “More open jobs” and that was enough for them.

Hands down, across the boars, the Democratic messaging on economics was either spotty or non existent and no matter how short sided or bigotted their choice was - Trump got more voters then Kamala in pretty much all demographics. This is not a thing where we can narrow it down to different socieo-ecconomic groups and ask why they didn’t come to the polls for Harris - we need to look at the messaging that, in some diabolical miracle, lead to a Trump victory.

Look; I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers. Honestly, we should’ve had a primary and Joe should’ve dropped out in 2023. But he didn’t, and instead with have yet another example about the Democrats schoochimg towards the middle, ignoring so many problems and allowing the dumbass to Scapegoat his enemies for a victory instead of delving to the root of our political issues - the absolute financial stranglehold the top 1%, made mostly of old white men but this is a war of Capital. And its one that most Americans have no idea they’ve been drafted into, most often on the side of Capital

Oh - and Gaza. The lack of firm answer there is immoral even if openly opposing Israel is political suicide in our current climate. Doesn’t matter, her silence is a condemnation on her - infinitely better then Trump

[aryburn-trains]

The Golden Spike Centennial Limited Moberly, MO May 14, 1969

[imjustalilboi]

I'm bored so have some Thomas and Friends OCs I made and things that happen to them

Lillian

- An L&YR Class 27 engine (Yes, that means she's related to James)

- She has a somewhat bubbly personality but can get upset at times

- She was painted in the usual L&YR black but was later repainted in the NWR blue

- She was given the nickname "Bad Luck Lillian" from how many accidents she was involved in during her stay on the BR and was constantly harassed for it on her past railway (She still has trauma from it but hides it)

- Her number is 52321

- She works in the Sodor China Clay Pits, taking heavy and long clay trains to the docks

-----------------------------------------

Christopher

- An LB&SCR E4 Class engine

- He is outgoing and extroverted as hell (He WILL legit introduce himself to a random engine at any time with no warning)

- He has a passionate and optimistic personality, always trying to see the good in things

- He has two rolling stock, a 7 plank truck painted blue (Miles), and a push-pull coach painted in the usual orange (Clarissa)

- He works on the Little Western with Duck and Oliver

- His number is B470

- He was painted brown when he arrived on Sodor, but was repainted in the NWR green

- When he worked on the Southern Railway, he had an incident similar to Thomas' with the guard, but he willingly had cowcatchers put on him, liking how they look on him

-----------------------------------------

Taylor

- An N-1 2-8-4 Berkshire

- She is introverted and a bit slow thinking

- She has a timid and kind personality

- She was shipped overseas from America to work with heavy goods and passenger trains

- Her older sister is No 1225, or better known as Pere Marquette, one of the locomotives mostly known for the inspiration for The Polar Express

- She has four Pullman coaches, named Victoria, Terry, Rika, and Stephanie

- She also knew Nic while she was in America (The name for Nickel Plate Road 765 for my AU)

- She enjoys it when it snows, not really needing a snowplow and getting to pull special Holiday trains, her coaches repainted for the events

- Her number is 1221

- She mainly works on the line from Knapford to Vicarstown

-----------------------------------------

Crashes and Incidents

- On November 7th, 1966, Lillian ran into the back of an idle goods train while pulling a clay train, crashing into a bog

- On May 24th, 1954, Christopher's left coupling rod and cowcatcher came undone from a close shave with Oliver at a junction

- On December 1, 1977, Taylor flew off a bend from slipping on icy rails while going down Gordon's Hill on a particularly snowy evening while pulling a coal train

On April 18th, 1933, Lillian backed past a danger sign by accident during bad weather, derailing her tender in a ditch

On November 7th, 1979, Taylor hit a lorry on the line while pulling a goods train, only derailing herself along with a few trucks and vans

- On September 5th, 1966, Christopher reversed and accidentally ran through the buffers, derailing Miles into a muddy ditch and nearly tipping over Clarissa

-----------------------------------------

Rolling Stock

- Victoria is a little bit lazy, always yawning and annoyed when she has to work while she's tired

- Terry is somehow almost always asleep, not even waking up during passenger runs and not feeling a thing

- Rika is absolutely fucking FERAL, snarling at anyone and always angry at everyone (Except for Miles because he is bby boy and nobody picks on him)

- Stephanie is the only inquisitive one out of her four siblings, the observation coach always asking questions and is the most positive

- Miles is one of the only well behaved trucks on the island, never pushing or taunting

- Clarissa can be quite snobby at times, yet she doesn't mean any harm behind it (She'll occasionally be in the coach shed with her two siblings who were also on the island, Annie and Clarabel)

- Lillian has a coach she's familiar with, Roly, occasionally taking him with workmen when they need to be moved

[railwayhistorical]

Unmistakably Alco

The image was made on a humid day about five miles south-east of Charleston, Illinois. We're standing along one of the several routes owned by the Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation—this particular line was once the Nickel Plate Road.

Number 332, working for the Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation, is an Alco C420. Discerning the lineage of this locomotive was interesting: to begin with, the gray color made me think of the Louisville & Nashville.

Indeed the engine ran for the L&N as number 1332. [It seems that IHRC simply removed the “1” to create a new number: 332.] But the story goes on: the bell on the nose is a tip-off that this locomotive once labored for the Monon (subsumed into the L&N in 1971). The Alco C420 was purchased new for the Hoosier Line in August of 1967 and worked with the number of 515.

One image by Richard Koenig; taken in August of 1990.