W.W.&F. Discussion Forum

WW&F Railway Museum Discussion => Work and Events => Topic started by: Mike Fox on December 15, 2008, 05:50:46 PM

Title: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Mike Fox on December 15, 2008, 05:50:46 PM
Remember last year?
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-11/1225939/Alna_Center_Plow_Extra.jpg)

So much snow they couldn't haul the sleigh through it. I guess someone forgot to ask for snow this year. The ground is fairly bare there with little snow forecasted between now and Saturday.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Josh Botting on December 15, 2008, 06:24:02 PM
Mike,

I think you speak tooooooo quickly, Wends, 2-3, Friday???  Looks like there will be snow.

On the plus side, the 50+ temps today have eaten the ice  ;D

Someone didn't even have to shovel out the driveway.

Unfortunatly though, someone's new/old snow blower is non functional at this time ;(.

Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Matthew Gustafson on December 20, 2008, 01:28:45 AM
Man #10 makes #52 look prety small! I wonder what #9 & #11 will look like next to #10? :o ::) :D ;D
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Mike Fox on December 20, 2008, 09:00:56 PM
BEAUTIFUL day today. Very cold. I don't think it got into the double digits until after noon. There was enough snow to just cover the top of the rail and add decoration to the surrounding trees. Not a bad crowd. If I had to guess, I would say in the 150 range. Hard to teel as I was not where I could see all that rode the trains. Stay tuned in the next few days for Pictures.
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Stephen Hussar on December 20, 2008, 09:57:24 PM
Victorian Christmas is a wonderful event. As one 30 something young lady commented just today, "this is so great...this is what Christmas is supposed to be." Fortunately I wasn't the only one who heard her. Photo was taken this morning during the 11am trip.

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/342468/Victxmas08Humason1sm.jpg)
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Matthew Gustafson on December 20, 2008, 09:59:48 PM
Cool photo of #10!   :o ;D
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Stephen Hussar on December 20, 2008, 10:10:54 PM
Here's one from later in the day taken in the middle of Cockeye Curve. Merry Christmas from Alna, Maine!

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/342468/victxmas08cockeye1sm.jpg)
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Dwight Winkley on December 21, 2008, 12:02:17 PM
Matt, this is the bridge that the US Marines built in 4 days.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Mike Fox on December 21, 2008, 12:40:18 PM
Nice photo Stephen. I wish I had some to share. The one I took did not survive the battery failure. I saw one picture while I was reviewing yesterday that said unrecognizable format. I deleted it. Now I figure that was the picture. Oh well.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: John Kokas on December 21, 2008, 01:44:48 PM
Magnificent picture Stephen.. 8)  It now is the wallpaper on my computer.  Keep up the great photography..................
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Steve Smith on December 21, 2008, 02:23:08 PM
Thanks so much, Stephen, for that wonderful picture! This one certainly belongs on a WW&F Christmas card.

Steve
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Stephen Hussar on December 21, 2008, 02:28:41 PM
Thanks, Steve! I was just working on this!!

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/342468/Postcard_Victorian_xmas_08_Humason_edited-1.jpg)
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Steve Smith on December 21, 2008, 02:43:00 PM
Stephen, that sure gasted My flabber, I'll tell you. Also got my Mac computer so excited that the icon for the safari web browser played a  wittew twick on me and hid way down at the other end of the dock! 

That card sure looks like a winner for the gift shop. I should know, but don't: Has the gift shop been selling Christmas cards with a WW&F theme such as this?

Steve 
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Duncan Mackiewicz on December 21, 2008, 06:05:00 PM
Steve,
What great shot.  That, my friend, is a post card picture for sure.  And, yes, John, pc wallpaper too.  Thanks for sharing Steve.
Duncan
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Ira Schreiber on December 21, 2008, 06:21:17 PM
Steven,

It looks like a "Leanin' Tree" post card and it is now my wall paper too.

Thank you and Season's Greetings to one and all.

Ira Schreiber
Title: Re: preservation and hokum
Post by: Allan Fisher on December 21, 2008, 06:24:14 PM
The Museum Store has been selling WW&F Christmas Cards for the last two years.   (Dick Symmes pen & ink drawings with a little color added each year.)

Steve Hussar's beautiful winter shot will probably be the December page in our 2010 calendar.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Stephen Hussar on December 21, 2008, 08:12:33 PM
Thank you all very much!!!

Stephen
Title: Wow!
Post by: Bill Reidy on December 21, 2008, 08:35:41 PM
Stephen,

That has to be the most handsome picture yet I've seen of the museum, and there's been many.  Thank you, and thanks to all who organized and ran this year's Victorian Christmas.

Happy holidays,
Bill
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: John McNamara on December 21, 2008, 08:41:05 PM
Allow me to join the chorus of those praising Stephen for his breath-taking shots. Despite threats of nasty weather, I knew that I just had to come up to the museum to see the snow-laden trees, clouds of steam, and happy riders. By leaving Massachusetts early on Friday, hiding in a local hotel Friday night during the storm, and driving back south Saturday evening before the next storm, my dreams came true. Stephen's great photos have preserved those dreams for me. Thanks Stephen!
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Bill Sample on December 21, 2008, 09:47:48 PM
One of these days I'll make it up to the WW&F for the Victorian Christmas, but in the mean time a big Thank You, Stephen, for the photos of what I'm missing.
(working with a foot of snow on the "Broad Gauge" Naugy this weekend.) 
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Dave Buczkowski on December 22, 2008, 10:49:58 AM
Steve's photo was immediately put on my desktop. When the definitive history of the WW&F Railway Museum is written for the 50 year anniversary of the Museum, I think we can rest assured that the cover photo (as well as many others) will be by Steve Hussar. We are truly blessed that we have such an artist who is devoted to our cause. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my friends at the Mighty WW&F Railway!
Kielbasa Dave
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Stephen Hussar on December 22, 2008, 09:55:47 PM
Thanks again! Here are a couple more from Saturday...

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/342468/VCattrask_sm.jpg)

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/342468/victxmasgoingawaycurve_sm.jpg)
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Bernie Perch on December 22, 2008, 10:53:56 PM
What's really nice about these photos is that this is exactly what it looked like 90 years ago.  As one of my students said many years ago: "You know that real life back then was really in color, not sepia tone".

Bernie
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: John Houghton on December 23, 2008, 12:15:29 AM
I was studying Stephen's beautiful pictures of the Victorian Christmas and struck with a really "off the wall" question.  How do you keep the evergreen wreath that surrounds the number plate on the smoke box door from getting scorched, or worse yet, going up in smoke?  Is it just to darn cold there for this to happen?

John Houghton
(California)
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Matthew Gustafson on December 23, 2008, 12:51:43 AM
Looks like I've found my favorite photo of WW&F #10!
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Bernie Perch on December 23, 2008, 07:02:38 AM
When I was a volunteer at the WK&SRR, I made a wooden number plate which was painter red and green and clipped over the locomotive's regular number plate.  It had about eight "spider legs"  made out of 1/8" wire pushed into holes on the side of the plate which also rested against the smoke box door.  This kept the wreath from touching any hot metal.  The whole wreath assembly could be made in the shop and clipped on the locomotive in 15 seconds.  I believe they are still using it.  You can see it on one of the other photo sites.

Bernie
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Mike Fox on December 23, 2008, 09:00:54 AM
I was studying Stephen's beautiful pictures of the Victorian Christmas and struck with a really "off the wall" question.  How do you keep the evergreen wreath that surrounds the number plate on the smoke box door from getting scorched, or worse yet, going up in smoke?  Is it just to darn cold there for this to happen?

John Houghton
(California)

John, the outside temperature helped that this year. It never made it above 15 or so. And that was for about 3 minutes in the afternoon when the sun was out./
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Paul Horky on December 23, 2008, 11:03:55 AM
While the bridge picture is really good. I like the two car train shot better as it shows a more realistic picture of the WW&F. Grate work in all the shots Steve.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Mike Fox on December 24, 2008, 08:08:48 AM
Here is a link to a video Joe found on You Tube of the Victorian Christmas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN-0-DqC-TY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN-0-DqC-TY)
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Matthew Gustafson on December 24, 2008, 12:36:50 PM
Merry Christmas everybody!!! ;D
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Ira Schreiber on December 24, 2008, 02:32:34 PM
That ia a great video.
Thanks to all,
Ira
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Gordon Cook on December 24, 2008, 04:24:32 PM
I was studying Stephen's beautiful pictures of the Victorian Christmas and struck with a really "off the wall" question.  How do you keep the evergreen wreath that surrounds the number plate on the smoke box door from getting scorched, or worse yet, going up in smoke?  Is it just to darn cold there for this to happen?

John Houghton
(California)

As the unofficial 'wreathier' for "Santa's Alna Express" I can tell you that last year I just stuck it in back of the number plate, and the result was a well roasted wreath. This year I made a simple wire bracket that hung it out from the smokebox front so that only a few needles got scorched and it looked much better too. The wreaths fit over the number plate pretty well, and there are usually several vendors set up by the side of Route 1 between Bath and Wiscasset who are happy to sell a few more wreaths that close to Christmas. IMHO the splash of red from the ribbons really completes the picture.
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: Duncan Mackiewicz on December 25, 2008, 10:41:58 PM
Good job Gordon.  The wreath looks great on the front of the engine.  Wish I could have been there to see it in person.  Maybe next year.
Duncan
Title: Re: Victorian Christmas
Post by: John Houghton on December 27, 2008, 12:33:02 AM
Thanks to Bernie, Mike and Gordon for their answers to my question about "overheating" the wreath.  And, as someone else mentioned, the red ribbon really adds the perfect accent to the loco-with-wreath winter scene.  Stephen's pictures are stunning!!!!!!

John Houghton