Steam & Excursion > My rant......Complainers, in general...

Generally, I like all  steam engine pictures, even with today's non-traditional additions...everything from year 2000s cars to bright vests, to modern 'civilian' garb, hair styles, etc...
Someday these wil somebody's 'good old days'....

My peeve is the ubiquitous plastic "Igloo" ice coolers, propped on the tender's water legs, behind the cab...
They generally are white body with red top...if anything dates a picture to the modern era, it's the Igloos...

Hit 'em with a spray can of a blend-in color.   A lot of similar cans from the era were made of galvanized sheet steel.
A medium gray would be good.... They'd blend in better...

And, yes, keep your ugly green vests out of the steamer's cab.... In case of a blow-back flame from an oil burner, you don't want to set a-blaze in one of those flammable vests..... Show some situational awareness....

Typically, almost every excursion is unique, in some manner.....individual differences can date a picture pretty accurately...

Now, back to my cold Beer....ITS HOT, TODAY, here in Virginia...

​W.

It's not 1950, igloo coolers keep water cold. End of rant.

Igloo had made galvanized water coolers for many years,  ( from the thirties?) and old-time steam crews also found ways to have ice cold water in the cab------ever since ammonia refrigeration compressors, commercial ice houses, etc...

W

Diesel engines and cabooses got DC operated refrigerators/water coolers, at least from 30-40 years ago.  Nothing 'new' about cold water.  And at least the Cotton Belt guys figured out a long time ago that the 74 volt DC outlet in the diesels would run a coffee pot, although a bit slower then a normal household outlet.

I don't know that the igloo thing would push me to the point of a "rant" post, but I hear ya.
Several years ago Stevo de Wemario and I were out in Chama (mmmmmm.. Chaaaama) and stumbled into a group of British fans who had chartered a freight they were far more interested in chasing/shooting than riding.
Well, we rather fancied a caboose ride- but this really wasn't our parade.
So we approached them with about 50 quid each, dressed in bibs & Levi coats.
The caboose was ours! And, truth told, I think the garb went far further than the ££££ in sealing the deal.
I think the lesson here is easy enough to figue:
Blending is good.
SR

Hmmmm ... I thought old tmers just lived with the heat stroke and loved every minute of it.

First mars lights, now it's about igloo containers lmao, this is too much

dcoursey Wrote:
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> First mars lights, now it's about igloo containers
> lmao, this is too much

Man, you nailed it and beat me to the punch..........it never ends.......

Amen to that.

Tongue planted firmly in my cheek.
W.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> Tongue planted firmly in my cheek.
> W.

I had a feeling.

Posted from iPhone

I can think of an example to go along with Wes's rant.   When 1522 was in Atlanta doubleheading with 611, we had a yellow Igloo sitting on the water leg of the tender and it was like a neon light.   We started carrying a chest type in the jump seat on the tender which was out of sight.   Somebody hadn't invented the damned day glo  vests yet.  I agree with Jack, nothing but cotton in the cab of an oil burner.  I wouldn't want one of those vests welded to me.

I really don't care because I'm color blind - red looks kinda brown to me. White I can live with, if it is tastefully done. On the other hand, being color blind has its drawbacks in model railroading. Not long ago I painted my HO N&W 2-6-6-4 in Daylight red and orange, only to have my friend Billy come over and say, "What the FU##?" you painted your engine purple and fushia!" I'll never buy paint labeled in Chinese again. Anyway, mom got POed at Billy for using foul language and sent him home, so now I have nobody to play with, and Billy swiped my Schwinn when he went home and now is stripping it of parts to sell on Craigslist.

Railfan Bob

At Steamtown (and lets not go down that road...)  We had a stainless ice cooler on the 26 and on the larger road engines we spray painted the yellow or orange igloo coolers flat black.  It was a three dollar solution.
Back then it was about show business and giving people the best experience possible.  With something like a museum engine, the little things do, in fact, mean a lot. 

Dave

Somehow the significance of any of this seems negated when there is a current-generation diesel tucked in behind the water car (which itself is a give-away except in the case of 1522, the Frisco having frequently used auxiliary water cars in real life).  Just sayin'

Gordon

Doesnt the Igloo cooler fit right in with the fire hose filling the tender?
Roger Beckett

hogheaded Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I really don't care because I'm color blind - red
> looks kinda brown to me. White I can live with, if
> it is tastefully done. On the other hand, being
> color blind has its drawbacks in model
> railroading. Not long ago I painted my HO N&W
> 2-6-6-4 in Daylight red and orange, only to have
> my friend Billy come over and say, "What the
> FU##?" you painted your engine purple and fushia!"
> I'll never buy paint labeled in Chinese again.
> Anyway, mom got POed at Billy for using foul
> language and sent him home, so now I have nobody
> to play with, and Billy swiped my Schwinn when he
> went home and now is stripping it of parts to sell
> on Craigslist.
>
> Railfan Bob



Now THAT is a quality post.

flash34 Wrote:
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> wcamp1472 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Tongue planted firmly in my cheek.
> > W.
>
> I had a feeling.
>
> Posted from iPhone

 Looks like you may have been the only one. :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/16 18:41 by rev66vette.

C'mon now guys, John Lennon "had a feeling".  AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Well, the rule does say those vests are to be worn outside the cab:) And he does hang pretty far outside............
Yeah, couple cans of paint.......
Rant........what's with flags on the front every time it goes out?