On Vacation

[Reckers]

Hardly worthy of a thread, but wanted to let you guys know I'll be out of touch for most of the coming week---I'm on vacation! We're cleaning the house and catching up the laundry today and shopping. I have a consulting job tomorrow (money too good to pass up) in Henderson, KY, and then we head for Pigeon Forge,TN early Tuesday morning! Won't be back to Thursday or Friday or maybe Saturday....*L* Y'all keep the oily side down, while I'm gone!:D

[MacDaddy55]

He:Dy Reck,
Have a great vacation and here's a tip on how to get out of laundry duty....add a new pair of red socks to your whites:eek: and I guarantee you will never do Laundry again....been there, done that!:D

[Komodo]

have a good time

[Reckers]

K-Man, thank you----I plan to ahve a great time! Mac, your suggestion is duly noted---now, to find some red socks and pack! See you guys at the end of the week!

[Stillakid]

But I've got to ask, do you think it wise leaving Timboy, here without supervision?:laugh::laugh::laugh:

[tjcruiser]

Who let the dogs out .... Whoot whoot whoot whoot .... Who let the dogs out ... Whoot whoot whoot whoot.

:laugh:

Have a great time, Reck ... drop us a zinger or two when you're back online.

Cheers,

TJ

[Reckers]

The boys are back in town! Thanks for all the nice comments, guys! Here's a taste of the Great Smoky Mountains:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga001.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga003.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga007.jpg

[Reckers]

...and Chattanooga:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga007.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga049.jpg

[Reckers]

For Southern, a side-trip to Sweetwater, TN...

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga034.jpg

[Reckers]

And let's not forget Bowling Green Kentucky, home of Duncan Hines, the Everly Brothers, and a very nice Railroad Museum:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga095.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga094.jpg

[tjcruiser]

Reck,

Welcome back! Nice pics ... the Smokies look gorgeous. What's that high-ceiling building ... a train station??? That L&N diesel is pristine looking ... and I mean PRISTINE! Almost makes a steamer guy like me stop to admire a diesel for a moment or two. Does she run as a tourist train?

Cheers,

TJ

[Reckers]

Thanks, Teej! The Smokies really are beautiful. That train station was Union Station in Chattanooga, TN. It closed and was eventually purchased and renovated into a resort hotel. The original yard still has cars and part has been turned into a beautiful garden. You can get a conventional room or a pullman car turned into a bedroom, eat in the restaurant or a (stationary) dining car. Here's the view from our hotel room:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga063.jpg

Here's a train photo from the yard:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga054.jpg

And the dome atop the station:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga046.jpg

[T-Man]

I copied these two pages from an old AF catalog so I made a sign.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4756&stc=1&d=1287277230...http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4757&stc=1&d=1287277230

[Reckers]

Great sign, T-Man! I'm glad to see you're still S-caling up!

[Reckers]

Teej, I forgot to answer about that pristine locomotive. It's as perfect as the pics make it look, on the outside, but needs mechanical restoration. It's at the train museum in Bowling Green, KY. It's attached to an equally pristine series of a mailcar, dining car with galley, Pullman car and the L&N President's personal car.

Another shot of the mail car:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga070.jpg

The diner:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga071.jpg

End of dining car, passages leading to galley or other cars:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga072.jpg

Cold galley/dishwashing area:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga073.jpg

Corridor alongside cold galley to kitchen (left doorway) or other cars:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga074.jpg

[Reckers]

Next: a series of the kitchen. Unbelievably tight quarters, a worn grating of wood slats on the floor to keep the cooks from slipping:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga077.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga076.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga075.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga078.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga079.jpg

[Reckers]

Men's room:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga082.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga081.jpg

Speaks for itself:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga080.jpg

Ever wonder where you go when you're thirsty? There's a Dixie Cup dispenser above it.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga083.jpg

[Reckers]

Pullman shots. Sorry, but quarters are so tight I couldn't back up enough to make coherent shots.

Pullman car: seats below, bunk above swings down:
Seats: http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga084.jpg
Bunk in overhead (swung up) position:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga085.jpg

Curtains for aisle and windows:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga086.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga087.jpg

Greater luxury: a bunk-bed style cabin with it's own sink and toilet:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga089.jpg

Care for a bath?
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga090.jpg

[Reckers]

President's car:

Meeting room:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga091.jpg

His bed:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga092.jpg

Sitting room/observation room at the end of the car:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/reckandstep/10-12-10Thru10-15TriptoGatlinburgandChattanooga093.jpg

[tjcruiser]

Reck,

Great pics ... looks like some fun sightseeing. I like that hotel theme ... revamped Pullmans for lodging ... neat! Nice, too, that they've restored the station into their lobby. "Adaptive architectural reuse" is what us easterners call it.

What's that black button machine sitting on the Presidential desk? :D

Cheers,

TJ

[gc53dfgc]

um tj i think thats what us young whipper snappers call a mechanical keyboard and paper monitor. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

No it's actually a typewriter.:D

[big ed]

Thats not really a bath tub is it?
I don't see any facets?
Thats just a shower stall?:confused:

Man that kitchen looked when used!
Looks like the inside of an old greasy spoon diner.

Someone should clean it up a little, I lost my appetite after looking at it!:D

Did you touch the brake?:laugh:
I would have.:D

Was your honey looking for food in the kitchen?:D

[Reckers]

Teej, that's not the President's desk....*L* It's for the Secretary of the Railroad!

[Reckers]

Ed, that wan't my honey in the kitchen---just another tourist. I believe she said her name was "Dinah". That really is the bathtub---faucets were on the wall to the left, about waist-high. I guess the in-between height was so you could sit and bathe, or sort of crouch to get a shower. Standing on a slick, wet surface in a moving train has got to be a real challenge.