Trip to Streamliners at Spencer - 2

Hi, On Wednesday, May 28 we returned to Aberdeen, NC so we could follow the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western back toward Candor.

As the ACW crew had not yet arrived from Candor we decided to check out the Aberdeen & Rockfish, a few blocks away.  Soon after we got to their engine house a crew started #205 and went to work switching a few cars (above and two below).

About 9:00 AM the ACW crew was pulling and the chase was on.  CSX track is to the left.

The train slowly moved through downtown Aberdeen.

After Aberdeen we found an open area at Pinehurst.

Another open spot was along a back road at Eagle Springs.

We followed the ACW back to Candor and then headed back south.  At Southern Pines we caught K760.

Returning once again to Aberdeen  we found Q742

which we caught at Southern Pines for a second shot.

Thanks for looking.

Boats and Ships of Japan - 2, Final

Hi, We left Yokohama in the early evening of July 26, an hour late due to the necessity of sending a passenger to the hospital.  We lost another hour during our transit as a second passenger needed to be sent ashore to a hospital, this time by helicopter on our second night out.

Our first port of call was Nagasaki on July 28, a really interesting place (above and seven below).  I am not sure what purpose this ship serves.  The Japanese practice of a sharply raked bow was really intriguing.
 

This passenger ferry took people to various docks along the bays many inlets.

Mitsubishi has two huge ship yards in Nagasaki.  In the photo above a large cruise ship is in dry dock.  The other ship yard had two more cruise ships.

Two smaller warships along with a larger one (about the size of a WW II light cruiser I would guess) were tied up at piers.  The larger ship was being worked on (note the scaffolding).

I am not sure what purpose this boat serves.

Tugs in Japan all look like this and are very different from those we have in the US.  They have the standard raked and sharp prow but a blunt area above the prow.  For another view see the final image.

A pair of natural gas tankers were tied up at the Mitsubishi yard.

July 29 found us in Busan, Korea.  Like Yokohama, this port is truly huge.  The vessels above and below are used to train merchant marine officers engineers.

As we left port we passed this vessel, purpose unknown.

Great Rivers of Europe - 3

Hi, We arrived in Koblenz on the beautiful but brisk spring morning of May 4.

Across the river from our docking spot was this small shipyard. 

Soon after our arrival we departed the ship for a walking tour around town (above and three below.)

Called Spitting John, this fountain represents all the bastard sons of invading French soldiers.  Also, it is called the Spitting Boy Fountain.  The fountain spits every two minutes.

We departed Koblenz around lunch time for what was for me one of the highlights of the trip.  Over a 40 mile stretch of the Rhine there are 40 castles.  Some are still occupied.  In addition, there were some very picturesque riverfront towns (above and all of the remaining photos below).

The river provided its own subjects (above and two below).  In the photo above we are about to pass a self propelled barge.

Ferries are used to cross this stretch of the river (above and below).  There are no bridges.

Even though the hillsides are very steep grapes are still grown here (above and below).

At one time the lords of the various castles along the river collected tolls for use of the part of the river they controlled.  At this point the controlling lord placed a chain across the river which would be lowered to the bottom by the occupants of this small fort after the toll had been paid.

Thanks for looking.