#ns chicago line

[1-westproductions]

NS Norfolk Southern SD70ACe & GE locomotives on NS EB stack intermodal, NS Chicago Line, Berea, OH, 9/2023. www.1westproductions.com

[spideysbruh]

Masterlist

Social Media Aus

Sanctuary

Pov

Absolutely Gorgeous!

Thank You GQ

Karma

Santa

Engaged

Simps

Married

Anniversary

Be With Me

Announcement of all Announcements

Distance

Matchmaker

Jokes

big sis

Your song

Chicago

Short 'n' Sweet

Defender

A Little Bit Funny

Halloween

Romcom

Bed Chem

Happier Than Ever

Number One Fans

Grammys

Busy Woman

SNL

She's Confident

IDGAF

Imagines

I Got You - Y/n has a panic attack on the red carpet and Timothée helps her

Two Times Timothée was Going to Propose and the One Time he Did

Protective (smut)- A guy on y/ns music video gets a little too friendly with her, which makes Timothée step in.

Secret- Y/n wants to go public, Timothée wants it to be just them for just a little longer...

First Met- Timothée and Y/n meet eachother for the first time at Florence's birthday party.

I Want It All (smut)- After filming a movie together and waiting for their press tour, Timothée and Y/n finally cross the line from just coworkers to more.

Still Want It All- can be a pt 2 ^^ but can be read alone! they go on their press tour and try to hide their relationship. they have a friendship test that they're scarily good at.

Morning (smut)- A conversation during sex leads to a proposal.

New Year (smut)- The best way to ring in the new year.

Tattoo- Y/n gets Timothées name tattooed on him.

Far Away (smut)- Timothée is away filming and Y/n is in LA, they have fun over facetime.

Neighbors (smut)- Y/n moves into the apartment across from Timothée and they become fast friends. (lots of flirting and cutesy lil moments idk I like this one hehehe)

Fourth Time's The Charm- Timothée proposes to Y/n four different times throughout their relationship.

Short 'n' Sweet- Y/n finishes her album and shows it to Timothée.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.21 (after 1950)

1951 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 3505 disappears while flying from Vancouver to Tokyo. The aircraft and its 37 occupants are never found. 1952 – The 7.3 Mw  Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds. 1954 – First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. 1959 – NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative. 1959 – Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. 1960 – Sirimavo Bandaranaike is elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, becoming the world's first female head of government 1961 – Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 4 Mission: Gus Grissom piloting Liberty Bell 7 becomes the second American to go into space (in a suborbital mission). 1961 – Alaska Airlines Flight 779 crashes near Shemya Air Force Base in Shemya, Alaska killing six. 1964 – A series of racial riots break out in Singapore. In the next six weeks, 23 die with 454 others injured. 1969 – Apollo program: At 02:56 UTC, astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon, followed 19 minutes later by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. 1970 – After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed. 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Friday: The Provisional IRA detonate 22 bombs in central Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the space of 80 minutes, killing nine and injuring 130. 1973 – In Lillehammer, Norway, Mossad agents kill a waiter whom they mistakenly thought was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre. 1976 – Christopher Ewart-Biggs, the British ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, is assassinated by the Provisional IRA. 1977 – The start of the four-day-long Libyan–Egyptian War. 1979 – Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk actor, becomes the first Native American to have a star commemorated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 1983 – The world's lowest temperature in an inhabited location is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). 1990 – Taiwan's military police forces mainland Chinese illegal immigrants into sealed holds of a fishing boat Min Ping Yu No. 5540 for repatriation to Fujian, causing 25 people to die from suffocation. 1995 – Third Taiwan Strait Crisis: The People's Liberation Army begins firing missiles into the waters north of Taiwan. 2001 – At the conclusion of a fireworks display on Okura Beach in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan, 11 people are killed and more than 120 are injured when a pedestrian footbridge connecting the beach to JR Asagiri Station becomes overcrowded and people leaving the event fall down in a domino effect. 2005 – Four attempted bomb attacks by Islamist extremists disrupt part of London's public transport system. 2008 – Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first President of Nepal. 2010 – President Barack Obama signs the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. 2011 – NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. 2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world. 2019 – Yuen Long attack or "721 incident" in Hong Kong. Triad members indiscriminately beat civilians returning from protests while police failed to take action. 2023 – The Barbenheimer phenomenon begins as two major motion pictures, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy Barbie and Christopher Nolan's epic biographical thriller Oppenheimer, are released in theaters on the same day and audiences, instead of creating a rivalry between the extremely dissimilar films, instead attend and praise both as an informal, surreal double feature.

[the-official-netherlands]

Gonna show you Rotterdam which is half the size of Chicago acording to Google, this is everything (busses, trams, metros)

these are the metros/subway (below ground expect for like 3 stops):

These are the trams/L's (above ground, mostly over car streets):

and a shity train map:

I can get from one side to the other walking in about 6 hours of just walking (yes I have done this, maps claims 4 hours, 30 minutes). With bike depending on like if the bridges are open id say hour and half to 2 hours is reasonable if its a non electrical bike.

current rotterdam exclusive bus line count is 64, with 267 busses, if we exclude the ones going out of rotterdam (40 minute bus to either my home or Den Hague for examples), 5 metro lines and apperently, I am not kidding 9 (11) metro lines

this is not a joke, this is what the wiki says

ofcourse we also got the ferries and the local busses, local busses can only hold 8 people, go from 8am to 8pm and are driven by volunteers so there is no official map or status as these keep changing and you just prey they still drive (there are aprox 40), the ferries idk shit about sadly as theres no info on the RET website and the NS only bothers with trains, I think we have 3 in Rotterdam, I could be wrong. Also if there's a soccer game this all doubles.

but yeah, ehm, you have like the same amount of public transport as a city half your size???

Polls that are judgemental bitches about pointless shit

[trainmaniac]

NS 1069 - Corunna, Indiana by Tyler Pate Via Flickr: Norfolk Southern’s Virginia Heritage Unit No.1069 went to be dead in the water while leading an eastbound NS 26W Friday morning on NS’s Chicago Line, then was later rescued by a local crew from Bryan, Ohio and was dragged 10 miles further east to this stub siding in Corunna, Indiana.

[zaffrenotes]

[ROD] When You Say Nothing At All

When You Say Nothing At All - 00-00 - You’re All I Want

Series Summary: After Jin and Logan seemingly part ways for good, she heads to the East Coast to begin a new chapter of her life at Langston. While she forgave Logan for The Lie, she was never ready to let him go, and neither is he. Can they repair their relationship with miles between them? Pairing: Logan x MC (Jin) Series Rating/Warnings: 18+; language; series will include ns*w 🍋 scenes Chapter Rating/Warnings: T Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * I had a bonkers idea to write an i-don’t-know-how-many-parts series for @rodappreciationweek that also reflects the Time Capsule challenge * This is an ambitious AU to my Mixtapes Side A & Hidden Track series, where Jin chose Logan. It begins a few months after the canon events in RoD concluded (my Choices math guesstimates July 2018 for this series), and will span roughly 12 years into the future * It will also include prompts from 50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You” and a little literary 🥚 for kicks * A/N 2: * I meant to post this earlier for Logan's Day, but like everything else I write it got away from me * Includes a very old Friends/Joey prompt from @ofpixelsandscribbles * chapter title is from a Cigarettes After Sex track * Word Count: ±1000 (4 minutes reading time)

Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed for updates on this series): @ao719 @burnsoslow @gkittylove99 @neotericthemis ofpixelsandscribbles @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @the-soot-sprite @choiceskatie @jaqren @choicesarehard @client-327 @queenjilian @saivilo @its-all-about-rod @bitchloveskcbaseball @lovehugsandcandy @troublemakerinspace

2019

Logan took all of Jin’s words to heart, keeping the phone tucked away in a lockbox. He added the key to a new chain around his neck, not only for safekeeping, but to remind himself of what he was working towards. Days passed into weeks, then months; Logan only noticed the passage of time by the weather. He had to buy a real coat to keep himself warm, and decent boots to keep slushy, snowy pathways from freezing his toes.

He tried writing letters to Jin, only to burn the half-inked pages over the stove, messy words curling and fading into the air. Dozens of e-mails mocked him from a screen, clumsy apologies disappearing into the void with a few abrupt taps. Every time he tried to get the words out, it didn’t feel like it was enough.

By March, Logan was absolutely miserable. Winter had been a good excuse to ignore how long his hair had grown out, hidden under knit caps and beanies, or tied back in ponytails. His usually high-maintenance locks morphed into a mess of natural curls and waves as a result. The somewhat scrappy beard that appeared on his face protected him from biting Chicago winds as he commuted to and from work on the train, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep it when the weather eventually warmed up.

The garage where he lined up a job didn’t ask too many questions; most of the guys were in AA and could tell he had his own demons to deal with. The owner knew someone from Logan’s old crew in Detroit and put in a good word for him. The place was just a few blocks from the L, and after a week of navigating his beloved Devore through the pasta strainer streets of downtown Chicago, taking the train actually worked out to be kinder to his wallet.

He woke up one morning, completely disgusted with his appearance. Even though it was his day off and he had no plans, Logan made his way to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He grabbed the electric clippers from one of the drawers and trimmed his beard down as short as he could, letting the wiry black hair collect in the sink as his jawline slowly unsurfaced with each pass. He scooped the hair into the trash before taking a long shower. The hot water soaked through the mess of curls in his hair and down his back, rivulets splitting and reconnecting down his legs as they made their way to the drain.

Showered and dressed, he set to work cleaning up the small studio space that he called home, tossing out old takeout and empty pizza boxes. He organized his small collection of books in a crate, taking care to set the book Jin had given to him on top. After lunch, Logan stripped the sheets and pillows of their bedding and stuffed them into a duffel bag along with his dirty clothes, making his way to a laundromat.

Once his laundry was washed and dried, Logan stuffed everything back into the duffel bag and tossed it into the back seat of his trusty Devore, before walking a few yards away to the strip mall barbershop. He exchanged a silent chin nod greeting with his barber, who was working on another customer, and grabbed an empty seat. As he tapped through apps on his phone to read the news and look at memes, he listened to the conversations happening around him. Two older men were jokingly giving each other a hard time as they played cards, while a small group of teens jumped from sports to comics to discussing dates for an upcoming dance. He wondered if Jin had gone to any dances since prom, and his heart twinged at the thought of her dancing with someone else.

When his barber eventually called his name, Logan rose from the faded vinyl seat and pulled the knit cap off his head as he approached the empty chair. They exchanged pleasantries, not without some teasing about his disheveled appearance since his last visit before the leaves had changed colors. As his barber worked on making him look more like a young man and less like someone who’d been raised by wolves, conversation drifted between work, racing, and girls.

All of Logan’s responses were short by nature; his work involved tune-ups and oil changes. He’d done a little racing on the side for extra cash until it got too cold and the roads were too slick. He could race under any conditions, but black ice was one of the few things he wouldn’t go up against. As for befriending someone of the fairer sex, he shrugged his shoulders in between hair snips.

“Girl problems, son?” The barber at the station to Logan’s left had chimed in to the conversation. “You’re too young to have a broken heart.”

“She was one in a million,” Logan replied, glancing over to the elder man. “No one else shines as bright as she does. What am I gonna do? I keep trying to get rid of these feelings, but they’re just…there.”

“She tell you what she needs to fix it?”

“I know what it’d take,” Logan huffed. “I just…I can’t really give that to her right now.” How can he be in her life when he’s nearly one thousand miles away?

“Why the hell not, son? Seventeen years with my missus has taught me you end up somewhere between option A and option B. If she’s the one, find a way to meet halfway.”

The conversation ended when the card game sparked a disagreement, diverting attention to the noise at the front of the shop. Something clicked in Logan’s brain, and once his barber finished up, he left the barbershop, heading home with renewed hope.

[guerrerense]

Sit this one out Virginian por Ken Wilkerson Por Flickr: NS 1069, the Virginian Heritage Unit warms the bench while the 1068, the Erie Heritage Unit runs the bases in charge of train 17N (Conway, PA to Elkhart, IN, manifest) through downtown Corunna, Indiana on NS' ex-LS&MS/NYC/PC/CR Chicago Line. The 1069's rear truck had set off the defect detector in Brimfield while serving as the lead unit of train 26W a few days prior, and it was eventually decided by all involved its trip was over. Both the 1068 and 1069 are SD70ACe's and were built by EMD not far away in Muncie, Indiana for NS in May of 2012 as two of their original heritage units. NS 8419 that's riding second out on 17N is a C40-8W and began life as CR 6230, built by GE for Conrail in June of 1994. For a look at a few seconds later see here: www.flickr.com/photos/97918773@N08/39685660605/in/album-7...

[marmarinou]

Wagons at Rondout by The Mastadon Via Flickr: “Rail Cruise America's excursion train from the Saint Louis Car Company was pounding the EJ&E main line in Rondout. Running a dinner train circle trip to Sturtevant, Wisconsin from Chicago and back on CP's C&M Subdivision, Rebuilt EMD F9PHA 1010 went on to Norfolk Southern as their 270. After NS no longer wanted to use a classic locomotive on their business train, it was sold to the Reading and Northern.”

Rondout, Illinois

May 21, 2005

[aryburn-trains]

The Three Rivers by Don Kalkman Via Flickr: Between November 1998 and January 2003, Amtrak shifted the endpoints of the Pennsylvanian west to Chicago, providing daylight service along the Chicago Line. In 2003 the Pennsylvanian reverted back to the Pittsburgh—New York schedule, leaving this image at Holmesville one for the record books. 

Train 44 was eastbound just after daybreak behind a Phase IV P42 and a good old F40PH, running ahead of several hot NS TV trains. It was a good time to be along the Chicago Line. October 29, 2000

[happys-crazy-queen22]

The Race Of Time

WARNING:Kidnapping, bombing. Taglist: @nocturnalherb16. "I can't believe you're running for PD, Y/N". Herrmann shook his head with laugh as he stood beside you.

"I have to run for my husband, next year I'll run for Fire. Sounds fair"?

"You're own blood". You rolled your eyes with a chuckle.

"Are you still talking crap, fireman"? Jay came up beside you, kissing your cheek.

"It's cool, I can take the old man's jokes".

"Old man? I'll show you old man". Herrmann started running as the gun went off, you weren't paying attention so you were behind.

The street was crowded with family, friends and supporters of the Chicago police and fire Department. You ran past your kids waving to them as they cheered you and Jay on.

You were hot on Herrmanns heels as you hit the corner of the street, you past Otis and Cruz who were acting like children as they ran.

"Come on babe, you can do this". You heard Jay in front of you, you knew he could run faster but he stayed with you. It wasn't really a race mostly raising money for the community and the stations had a childish war going on to see who was better.

"I'm coming, go ahead. I'll meet you there". You waved him off and he sprinted off. You were at the four mile mark when the road was filed with smoke. You tried running threw it but you started coughing. Then a bright light filed your eyes and you were thrown to the ground. Your head bouncing off the cement.

Jay panicked as he heard a blast from behind, he stopped to see. The smoke started to clear out and he could see bodies on the ground.

"Herrmann". He yelled, Herrmann stopped and saw what Jay was talking about. His jaw dropped and the both ran over to the victims.

The street was cleared quickly. Cops swarmed the place. Jay was worried about you but everyone said you're probably helping or with someone. They were right, you were with someone that was supposed to be dead.

"We should take her to the hospital. She looks bad". The voice echoed your head. Groaning as you say up, your hand went to your head and you hissed as you touched it. Blood covered your fingers.

"Where am I"? Looking around you were in a van and it was a moving.

"You're okay now". A males voice startled you as he came out from the back of the van.

"Who are you"? You asked blinking at the figure, he looked familiar but it couldn't be him. Could it?

"Well, let's say a blast from the past". He laughed bringing his face to the light.

"Evan? You're dead". Your voice trembled as you saw the man that you buried sitting right in front of you. The hair stood up on the back of your neck.

"Nice to see you too Babe". He spoke right before something metal hit your head, knocking you out cold.

"I can't find her anywhere. No one has seen her or heard from her". Jay paced the hallway of the hospital. He watched as the kids got checked over just to make sure.

"Jay, calm down. We'll find her". Will tried to calm his brother but it wasn't doing much.

"Are the kids okay"? Jay's head turned to the end of the hallway, coming down was Kelly.

"Yeah, just shook up". Jay bit his nails.

"What's wrong? Where's Y/N"? Kelly looked in the room.

"Jay"? Kelly's voice increased.

"I can't find her. After the bomb went off I couldn't find her. There's people out looking for her but no one's contacted me yet. I'm sorry".

"What do you mean you can't find her? She was with the runners right"?

"She was behind me. I think inside the bomb or at least close to it".

"So there's no body"?

"No". Jay whispered and Kelly let out a sigh of relief. This means you're still alive, hopefully.

"Can you take the kids back to your place? I don't want them alone with someone they hardly know"? Jay asked Will.

"Yeah sure. I'll get them checked out and we'll head there now". He walked off leaving Jay and Kelly.

"What do we do"?

"Voights brought in bomb squad and they're trying to figure out where the bomb came from".

"Okay. What do you need me to do"?

"Help me try to find out who took her". Kelly raised a eyebrow looking at Jay confused but Jay was serious.

"You're saying someone took her from the race after the bomb went off? Who would do that"? Kelly laughed at the idea.

"It is kinda crazy Jay. Wouldn't we have seen something? I was behind Y/N and I didn't see anyone out of the ordinary". Adam leaned against the wall.

"Then it must have been a runner. Blending in as one of us". Jay was so sure of himself.

"Who? Who could it have been"?

"We need a the list of everyone that signed up for the race. Maybe a name will trigger something in one of us. It could be a suspect we put away, a person with a grudge. Someone took my wife and I'm not stopping until I find her". Jay slammed his fist against the window.

"Wakey wakey". Evan shook you hard. Your head hurt like hell as he did.

"Please stop". You whimpered, trying to move your hands but you couldn't. Looking down they were tied to a chair so were your ankles.

"Why are you doing this"? You tried wiggling around but it was no use.

"You remember that day I found out about Logan and Laura"?

"Yes".

"I was so happy that I was going to be a father. Then I realized that I owned some bad people money and I couldn't figure out how to do both".

"So you faked your death? I mourned you for months". You screamed at him. "You have no idea what you put me through".

"Put you through? I couldn't see my kids be born or take their first steps. Then when the coast was clear I heard you moved on...with a cop". He got into your face.

"I didn't know you were going to come back. I wasn't going to wait around for a ghost".

"You're letting him raise my kids".

"My kids, not yours". You corrected him. "That went out the window when you supposingly died".

"I forgot how much of a bitch you were".

"If I'm so much of a bitch then why kidnap me? Why make me part of your plan"?

"I got your husband's attention didn't I"?

"So you're after Jay, what did he do"?

"You'll find out later once I've got everything worked out". He said going to the front of the van, you worked on the ropes around your wrist. You had to get out and fast.

"So I got the list of runners. All checked out except for two. One was a guy named Evan Bates the other is Norman  James". Mouse put the papers in front of Jay.

"Bates"? Kelly raised a eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know him"? Jay asked.

"Don't freak out but he's the twins dad".

"What is he doing here all these years? What does he want with Y/N"?

"Jay, he's died". Kelly's mind was blown and Jay was confused.

"Wait, he's died"?

"Yeah, we buried him before the twins were born".

"How did he die"? Jay nodded to mouse and he started typing on his computer.

"Car fire. I got a call to a wrecked car that was on fire. I got to looking at the car and it was his".

"Did they do DNA to make sure"?

"No, he was to burned to get anything".

"I got something. I ran the names and Norman is Tyler James's brother". Mouse pointed to the screen with a picture of Tyler and Norman.

"Tyler"?

"You arrested him for arson and he escaped and you killed him".

"So Norman's after me for revenge and Evan"?

"You taking his life from him"? Kelly thought that was the only explanation.

"Y/Ns being used to get to me. Do you think he'll hurt her"? Jay asked Kelly with worry in his eyes.

"I can't say for sure".

"We need to find them now".

"Pull over here". Evan told the driver.

"What are we doing"?

"Going to have a chat with Halstead". Evan pulled put a phone handing it to you.

"Call him". You did as you were told as it was ringing Evan swiped it from your hand and put it on speaker.

"Hello"? You heard Jay's voice and you sigh with happiness.

"Jay Halstead, I'm assuming that you have already figured out who I am since you're so smart".

"Evan Bates and Norman James".

"Correct. Now can you tell me where there are three other bombs at"? Evan chuckled as the line went silent.

"There's three more"? Jay questioned.

"Three, four, who knows. But you'll find out soon enough".

"Where's Y/N"?

"She's right here, looking lovely as usual".

"If you lay one finger on her"... Evan cut Jay off.

"You'll what? Kill me? You'll have to catch me first Jay Halstead".

"I will catch you and I'll make sure you don't see the light of day again".

"I see. And I thought we could be friends, well I have to go so I'll see you when I see you". Evan hung up and put the phone in his pocket.

"When I see Jay, it will be the last time you see him....alive". Evan push a strand of hair out of your face, you jerked at him. He chuckled and went back to the front.

"She's alive. Thank God". Kelly felt relieved.

"But there's more bombs and I don't know where to start". Jay ran his hand over his face.

"Most bombers put bombs where they'll be noticed. Places that remind them of something or someone".

"There's a festive going on at the high school today"? Mouse spoke up from his computer.

"Let's get some people there and circulate their pictures around. We have to find these guys".

"I pinged the number and it's bouncing off two towers". Jay looked and he knew right where they were. He grabbed his jacket.

"I'm coming with you". Kelly ran after Jay.

"I know you want to help but I cant let you get hurt too".

"You need someone with you. I can help".

"Fine. Just don't get shot or killed. I'll never hear the end of it". Jay smiled as Kelly laugh.

Jay followed his instincts and he was right. There was a van sitting in his drive way.

"I'll go around back". Kelly got out of the car and sneaked to the back yard.

Before Jay got out of the car he got a text from Voight, telling him to wait for back up. Jay cut his phone off and got out of the car. Walking up to the house, he looked through the windows. There you tied on the ground. Evan was sitting on the couch a gun in hand. Norman was out of sight, that made Jay's heart beat faster as he entered the house.

"Welcome home Jay". Evan said from the couch. Jay's eyes went to you, you nodded to him telling him you were okay.

"What do you want"?

"My family back".

"Sorry. They're not yours anymore. You gave that up".

Evan jumped off the couch getting into Jay's face. "They were taken from me. I did this to protect them and you came and stole them".

"You did this to yourself. Getting into bed with the wrong crowd. It's your fault".

"Well, I didn't come here to fight. That's Norman's job". Evan motioned for Norman to come in and he came in swinging. A punch landed to Jay face, knocking him unsteady. Evan sat back down on the couch.

Norman landed another blow to Jay's ribs with his leg. You cringed as Jay yelped. Jay faught back punching and kicking Norman. Evan was having field day as he watched Norman beat up Jay that he didn't see Kelly come in the house. Before coming into the house Jay gave Kelly a gun and Kelly wasn't going to use to but you were in the hands of a psycho.

"Evan". Kelly yelled bringing the attention to him, he pointed the gun at him.

"Kelly, so nice of you to join us".

Norman stopped fighting when Kelly put the gun to his head. Jay grabbed his hidden gun from ankle pointing it at Norman, taking his handcuffs and slapping them on.

"Get up". Jay ordered Evan, Evan sat still not moving.

"I said get up now". Jay gritted his teeth pointing his gun at Evans head. Evan moved slowly as he got up. Jay swiftly turned him around slapping handcuffs on him as well. He sat him back down on the couch and went to you. Taking put a knife and cut your ropes. You slung your arms around Jay kissing his lips as he helped you up. Your head was still hurting and you felt dizzy.

"You okay"?

"Yeah".

"We'll get you an ambulance". Jay wrapped your arm around his neck as you hardly could walk. He motioned his gun for Evan to get up and walk out the door. Kelly pushed Norman out the door. Voight and his team was pulling up as you got to the front yard.

As Evan walking he laughed, then thats when Jay saw the remote in his hand. Jay pushed you to the ground covering you as your house blew up. Wood shot out everywhere, car alarms went off and there was ringing in everyone's ears. Jay staggered to get up, he looked around Kelly was fine but Norman got a piece of glass in his throat, it sliced right threw his neck. Evan was lucky just a piece of wood threw his leg, he was still laughing. "I took something of yours now". Jay came closer to him. "I didn't lose anything. It's a house, it can be rebuilt. But you, you lost everything because of your stupidity". Jay walked back to you as the ambulance came. He picked you up carrying you to the EMTs. His family was more important than a house and stuff. More important than Evan. He had to make sure this never happened again. Voight came up to Jay as the ambulance was about to leave. "The bomb was at the high school, we got it in time". "Good". Jay closed the door. Voight and his team searched through Evans and Norman's stuff, they had planted two more bombs. One at Evans grave and one at Will's house. Thankfully him and the twins weren't home and they were at the hospital. Evan was serious about making Jay pay.

[norfolksouthern]

Since late March, our railroad’s intermodal customer service team has been on the front lines of Norfolk Southern's efforts to speed the transport of medical supplies going to companies that make ventilators and other equipment being used in the fight against COVID-19. In a tightly run operation, NS is collaborating with one of our largest international intermodal customers, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd., or ONE, to move the supplies by rail from East Coast port terminals to NS intermodal facilities in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Atlanta – and from there by truck to the manufacturing companies. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2TNPleB https://www.instagram.com/p/CAwCwPrHvOC/?igshid=rxbmvwsr4hxb

[bigdog8868]

Manifest Monday part 4. This time it NS Eastbound Manifest Train 16E (BRPI) the Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard To Conway Yard which is 63 miles from Alliance in the Home Stretch coming off the Cleveland Line to Fort Wayne Line here at 9:30 am in May of 2003 Lead by Ex Conrail SD60I #6738;(CR5610) 16E Train would later change to 16G here at CP ALLIANCE MP83 (at Amtrak Alliance (ALC)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZAUZUskgM4taON7hccyrK7YAQMOMjlzfGxGc0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[airmanisr]

Tank You by Danny Aslanian Via Flickr: A westbound tank train with Canadian Pacific power rolls past the Amtrak station at Hammond, IN. This station is located at MP 507 on the NS Chicago Line. August 2018

[trainmaniac]

NS 15N - West Toledo, Ohio by Tyler Pate Via Flickr: Westbound Norfolk Southern Train 15N with a five set of locomotives pulling the train past the former Nasby Tower at CP 292 on the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line, while heading for Elkhart Yard.

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Westbound CP stack train on the NS Chicago Line por Mike Snow

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Cape Breton lobster: The marketing, the history

Chris Bellemore

                                     Lobster is king these days in Cape Breton waters and throughout the eastern seashore. Although Maine has been the focal point for lobster this last century due to marketing and early access to global distribution channels, Cape Breton and the rest of Atlantic Canada are thriving based on demand from new markets. Like any other product that has ever existed markets change and fluctuate, creating times of bounty and times of hardship. There is a long and diverse history related to lobster that I’ve been delving into over the last few months.

Lobster fishing boat in Main-à-Dieu. Photo Credit: Tom MacDonald courtesy of Google Maps

The Early Years

Lobsters were plentiful on the east coast for hundreds, if not thousands of years. There are reports of lobsters being washed up in the beach during low tide, and after storms, sometimes in piles two feet high. It is said that the Mi’kmaq used lobsters for food, to fertilize their crops and to bait their fishing hook, and sometimes used the cleaned and polished lobster claws as tobacco pouches and even as pipes (from The Spirit Sings, Artistic Traditions of Canada's First Peoples 1827-29).

 In his journal entry referencing Cibo (Sydney), Nova Scotia from 1597 English Captain Charles Leigh wrote that "In this place are the greatest multitude of lobsters that ever we heard of; for we caught at one hawle with a little draw net above 140."

References to how lobster were fished during these early times stem from collection by hand along the coast, hook and line dragging, the use of a spear as well as dragging nets in shallow areas. As colonists occupied more of the eastern shore and lobsters became less available practices switched to basket designs brought over from France and specialized hauling boats called smacks. It wasn’t however until the mid 19th century that lobster traps, as we know today, became a more popular way of harvesting as fishing operatord found more success in deeper waters.

Due to their sheer abundance lobsters became a precious source of sustenance during hard times, which gave them a nasty reputation as the poor man’s protein, being labelled regionally as “the rat of the sea”. There are widespread references that lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children during the colonial era and beyond. In one Massachusetts town, a group of servants became so upset at their lobster-heavy diet that they took their masters to court and won a judgment protecting them from having to eat it more than three times a week. Afterwards servants allegedly insisted on stipulations in their contracts that they would only be served the shellfish twice a week.

Although widely spread, it is a common misconception that the average European during the colonial period had a distaste for lobster and would not eat it. Revered maritime historian A. J. B. Johnston in his paper The Early Days of the Lobster Fishery in Atlantic Canada references several Cape Breton accounts of Europeans enjoying the taste of lobster, including explorer and trader Nicolas Denys, accounts by French Governor General’s secretary Thomas Pichon, as well those of invading New England soldiers during the siege of Louisbourg.

Johnston also references lobster fisheries in coastal France and lobster markets in England as further evidence that even upscale Europeans were eating lobster and were not just eating bologna, as one local Cape Breton radio host mentioned some time back. Perhaps, just like today, it came down to personal preference during various periods of our long history.

Despite early interests the perception of lobster as a food for the poor persisted into the 1800s. “Lobster shells about a house are looked upon as signs of poverty and degradation,” wrote American observer John Rowan in the mid-19th century. Peddlers in Portland, Maine carried lobsters around in wheelbarrows, selling them on the street to working class Irish immigrants.

Although Nova Scotia holds the record for the world's largest lobster caught in 1977 and weighing 44 lbs, it also used to be home to the world's largest lobster trap in Cheticamp that stood until the 1990s. There has been some recent talk about bringing the largest lobster trap back. Photo credit: americansguide.ca

The Start of the Lobster Industry

Lobster first appeared on menus in the 1850s and 60s as a bargain dish in the salad section of stores. The going rate was half that of chicken salad. Accessibility to lobster was still mostly limited to coastal communities. That changed with the invention of the stamp can in 1847 which allowed food to be stored for future use. Canneries soon followed.

Early canning started in Maine and then spread to the rest of the Atlantic seaboard.The first Cape Breton canneries opened in Richmond County in 1872 and then in other parts of Cape Breton the following year (Nineteenth Century Cape Breton: A Historical Geography Hornsby 1992).  At first the canners had difficulty convincing fishermen to catch lobsters and an even harder time persuading shop owners to buy the canned goods, but they soon realised the market for a low-cost protein food that could be stored and transported. Soon the canneries dotted the landscape of most coastal communities, creating much needed jobs and a thriving industry.

Early packaging label from Aspy Bay, Cape Breton that includes a recipe for lobster curry! Photo Credit: Nova Scotia Archives

After changing the landscape and dynamics of small fishing communities for thirty years, the canning industry eventually waned across the Atlantic seaboard. At a time where lobster fishing was vastly unregulated the resource dwindled due to increased pressure from industrial processing.  In the beginning about one to two lobsters were needed to fill every one-pound can. Lobsters used for manufacturing were around 3-6 pounds each while the smaller lobsters were simply thrown back. Just ten years later fishing practices became so aggressive that lobsters couldn’t survive long enough to grow beyond two pounds. Now it took ten or more younger lobsters—many which had never reproduced— to produce a one-pound can. In a nut (lobster) shell, the cost of shelling outweighed the profits, pushing most small canneries out of business.

As the canneries struggled other opportunities emerged by the 1890s. With increased accessibility to markets the lobster started to shed its notoriety as a lower class food, gaining a following among upper class diners, particularly in Boston and New York City. Tourists to the east coast in search of unique experiences elevated the lobster further, finding a new appreciation for the one to two pound lobsters that now fit nicely on their dinner plates, and were willing to pay top dollar. New methods of refrigeration and ice packing allowed fishermen to ship live lobsters inland as far as Chicago, St. Louis, and even to England, where they sold for ten times the original price. As supply struggled to keep up with demand the prices for lobster went through the roof. Between 1889 and 1898 average per-pound prices quadrupled, then jumped again in 1905 (The Lobster Coast, Woodward). Only the ever-increasing prices kept an environmental disaster from occurring from overfishing.

The market remained strong up until the Great Depression in the 1920s, when most could no longer afford the dish in restaurants. Canneries had a revival as there was once again the need for a cheap source of protein for the population, including military troops. After the depression the market rebounded as lobster had instilled itself as an upscale, fancy meal that families could partake in from time-to-time. Interest continued to rise through the 1950s and 1960s. As the rise in the market for live lobsters in the United States the canneries started to disappear once again on the landscape, and canned lobster eventually was gone from most of the Maritimes. There is a great article in Cape Breton’s Magazine about lobster fishing in Cape Breton (Main-a-Dieu, Mabou, Grand Etang) up to the 1950s and 1960s: http://capebretonsmagazine.com/modules/publisher/item.php?itemid=739

Co-op lobster canning factory in Grand Etang circa 1940 from Cape Breton's Magazine

Packing lobster in factory near Cheticamp ca. 1959 - NS Archives

The prices at market haven’t always demonstrated a net benefit to local fishermen, most notably in 1909, when fishermen tied up their boats and went on strike for better prices from canning companies. This, in itself, was a strong demonstration of early organisation and cooperation among the fishing community in the early years. Unfortunately, at the time, communities that did not give up and give in suffered greatly. The American canning company Burnham & Morrill mothballed its factory for the 1909 season leaving no one to buy Gabarus lobsters. The fishermen in Gabarus responded by establishing a cooperative cannery in Gabarus Bay at the now abandoned community of Gull Cove. All-in-all the price for giving up valuable days on the water to strike resulted in no price increase but a promise of a government inquiry. (Historicizing the Lobster Fishery Tie-Up, Morton, 2013).  Another tie-up happened more recently in 2013 where fishermen negotiated a modest increase in lobster prices.

Gull Cove lobster factory. circa 1951. Although the community has been abandoned for many years, the stories persist. Photo credit Albert Albie MacDonald

Present Day

Today the lobster fishery is just as volatile as it ever has been. The success of the industry not only depends on the success of the resource, but also market competition and positioning; all playing out on a global scale.

China has become a significant player in recent years with their growing middle class that wants the best that the world can provide delivered to their doorstep. In 2016 Nova Scotia exported more than $218 million worth of seafood to China. It is expected that this market will continue to grow as China invests in more processing plants and has lowered tariffs this year.

The marketing piece is one of the most intriguing elements. There has been ongoing, often ravenous competition between the powerful marketing of Maine lobster and cheaper Canadian lobster. The topic even became part of the mainstream in 2009 with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay on his show Kitchen Nightmares, where he vehemently scolds an establishment for substituting Maine lobster for Canadian lobster. He harnesses some sort of super-power that allows him to detect the difference by sight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkSR7ExMDPc ).

This was quickly followed up by the emergence of Fourchu lobster, the proclaimed “Rolls Royce of Lobsters” that gained traction in 2010-2011 due to the extraordinary efforts of Dorothy Cann Hamilton, the founder of the International Culinary Centre. She claims that their exquisite taste is because “they're raised in exceptionally cold and clear water, so they grow slowly, and they're harvested before molting, so their meat is firm, with a complex taste that's not overly sweet.” The lobsters were transported to New York City for distribution to several upscale restaurants. http://gothamist.com/2012/05/30/test_driving_the_rolls_royce_of_lob.php#photo-1

With any product these days it is very difficult to sift through the smoke and mirrors.What people care about is the taste, the story behind the product, the ethical practices that are employed, and, of course, the cost. But we are all being constantly manipulated in these areas and much is often romanticised to some extent in the name of big business. As Mary Roach points out in her 2013 offering Gulp, taste is subjective. “It’s ephemeral, shaped by trends and fads. It’s one part mouth and two parts ego”. This holds true with perceptions of lobster in the 18th century or in the present day. She goes on to point out that studies conducted with wine and cost, and how, during blind taste tests with experts, least expensive wines regularly outscore the more expensive ones and often the most expensive wines score the worst. 

So perhaps the low cost is driving Ramsay’s distaste for Canadian lobster. Perhaps it is something more that speaks to the preferences and acquired tastes of a broader group of consumers. I'm inclined to think he was paid off by the big Maine marketing machine that year.  What is clear is that marketing is big business and will continue to be a key driver in the success of our industry and a resource that has helped to define our coastal communities.

 Other Sources:

The American Lobster. History of Lobster Fishing and Processing. http://www.parl.ns.ca/lobster/history.htm , 2017

A Taste of Lobster History. http://www.history.com/news/a-taste-of-lobster-history . 2011

 I dedicate this article to David Bull, a dear friend that passed away this year. He was instrumental in rejuvenating my interest in culture and history after being subjected to too many school trips to the local museum that involved hours of watching someone churn butter. 

Chris Bellemore is a blogger from Ontario that moved to Cape Breton Island and is logging his experiences in this strange and wonderful place. The good, the bad and the ugly. "You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."

My life in a nutshell, with most of the bad parts cut out:

Other related articles:

The WW2 plane on top of Jerome Mountain, Cape Breton https://capebreton.lokol.me/the-ww2-plane-on-top-of-jerome-mountain-cape-breton

The last schooner in Margaree: https://capebreton.lokol.me/the-last-schooner

My music that I work on, sometimes with a few friends:

https://soundcloud.com/crispbellemono  Trust me on this. From what the statistics tell me I'm a big hit in Bangladesh and Wales.