View allAll Photos Tagged Reliable
This little grape hyacinth has been blooming in my backyard for YEARS, maybe 20 or so? And it belongs, I read on Google, to the asparagus family, imagine. It’s pretty enough to have its own class.
Excerpt from www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-2...:
Former Bank of Montreal Building, 309 Cherry Street
The property at 309 Cherry Street contains two buildings: the first is a two-storey, detached bank building on a squared plan with basement, flat roof, and sandstone parapet. The chamfered main entrance at its northwest corner addresses the Cherry and Villiers intersection in a manner typical of bank buildings from this era.
The building was constructed of buff Indiana Limestone, sandstone, and buff brick in 1920 to the Classical Revival designs of the architecture firm Darling & Pearson; it has additional iron, copper, and wood detailing.
All four of the building's elevations are visible from the public realm. The principal elevations (north and west) flanking Villiers and Cherry streets are symmetrical in design and flank the corner entrance. Both are faced in limestone ashlar masonry set in courses of alternating widths. They are organized into two bays, where each bay has a pair of centered and vertically arranged windows: a flat-headed window opening with shouldered architrave surround and stone sill, and, at the raised basement level, a plain, flat-headed window opening with metal grill. The chamfered corner entrance is emphasized by a sandstone staircase up to the Greek Order portico of the raised front porch that features traditional Doric elements of classical design and is quintessentially representative of the Classical Revival style. A triangular pediment sits atop the entablature, which is supported by two outer, engaged square piers and two inner Doric columns with the standard capitals and fluted shafts. The pediment has copper flashing along its upper edges
and a lone anthemion-style acroterion at its apex (two more anthemia were placed at each lower point of the pediment, but these have since been lost). The tympanum is left plain. Underneath the cornice there are mutules with guttae, and the cornice line breaks beyond the portico and runs across the length of both the north and west elevations; the copper flashing continues atop this extended cornice as well. Alternating triglyphs and metopes pattern the frieze, while guttae beneath the triglyphs break into the otherwise plain architrave. Like the cornice, the bottom line of the frieze extends outside the entablature to create a stringcourse along the north and west elevations. The main door opening has a stone architrave surround and cornice. Tying together the main entrance and the entablature, the frieze design in the entablature is repeated on a larger scale in wood carving over the door: two triglyphs and a metope with a clock inset. A pair of rectangular, vertical sidelights with iron grilles in a geometric pattern flank the door; smaller versions are inset to the door panels. The metal door handles, likely brass, are a simple and elegant curving design.
The three bays of the east elevation are comprised of buff brick set in an English Garden Wall bond. It originally had three segmental arch windows with stone sills and irregularly placed basement windows. Building permit elevations from 1980 illustrate how one of these windows has undergone several layers of alterations, from initial infill, a large rectangular opening, to its present small metal door and stairwell with landing; the basement windows have also been repositioned several times. A simple, rectangular chimney stack devoid of ornamentation projects from the southeast corner.
The south elevation has the same brick and bond as the east, but the façade is plain and without windows or decoration. Overall, the building retains a high degree of integrity in both its form and exterior decorative details, such that the original 1920 Darling & Pearson design is quite legible.
The Second Classical Revival (also referred to as Neo-Classical Revival, or Beaux-Arts Classicism) in Toronto was popular at the turn of the century, from around 1890 to 1930. The return to classical forms was influenced by the respected Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France, which taught and championed the classical principles to a generation of architects, and the seminal event of the 1892 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago that became an international advertising platform for classically styled buildings, which featured heavily at the site. Post offices, libraries, and banks were typologies to which this style was frequently applied. Their façades typically emphasized a main, central entrance, while those who followed the Greek influence had plain surfaces with less adornment (in contrast to the Roman influence that favoured more layers of ornamentation).
However, the architrave does bear evidence of removed signage from previous occupants. Shell Canada Ltd. is listed as the property owner; they submitted a permit for alterations to build a basement entrance and a platform at the east elevation entrance. It was likely at this time (or even earlier) that the original window glazing, mullions, and transoms were replaced.
The design elements of classical architecture projected certain stereotypes within the minds of the public that banking institutions in particular wanted to associate with their business, such as endurance, integrity, and even wealth. Banks designed in the Classical Revival styles appeared like 'Temples of Finance' with their Greek or Roman orders, or even emulated strongboxes through the stone material of their exteriors and compact, balanced layouts. These features encouraged trust from potential clients and subtly communicated that this was a secure and reliable place to invest one's finances.
I spent two weeks in Austria this summer but 80% of that time it was raining, cloudy and cold. Not the ideal weather for a June trip to the mountains! However on the very last day the weather was perfect and I met up with a friend to railfan the Salzburg-Tiroler Bahn (ÖBB KBS 201) which was seeing detour traffic due to the closure of the "German corner". We did get a number of freights but unfortunately all with modern traction. However, IC 515 "Hahnenkamm is still a reliable bet for classic ÖBB traction. Here 1144 268 leads the usual mess of wagons near Fieberbrunn with the "Wilden Kassier" in the backdroö.
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Robin - Erithacus rubecula
Our ever reliable Little Robin...
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae) but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.
The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the south-east, it reaches the Caucasus range. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. The European robin prefers spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in Ireland and Britain.
Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the latter part of the 19th century were unsuccessful. Birds were released around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin by various local acclimatisation societies, with none becoming established. There was a similar outcome in North America as birds failed to establish after being released in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889–1892, and the Saanich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908–1910.
The robin is diurnal, although has been reported to be active hunting insects on moonlit nights or near artificial light at night. Well known to British and Irish gardeners, it is relatively unafraid of people and drawn to human activities involving the digging of soil, in order to look out for earthworms and other food freshly turned up. Indeed, the robin is considered to be a gardener's friend and for various folklore reasons the robin would never be harmed. In continental Europe on the other hand, robins were hunted and killed as with most other small birds, and are more wary.
Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar and other animals which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface. In autumn and winter, robins will supplement their usual diet of terrestrial invertebrates, such as spiders, worms and insects, with berries and fruit. They will also eat seed mixtures placed on bird-tables.
The robin features prominently in British folklore, and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe. It was held to be a storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the god of thunder, in Norse mythology. Robins feature in the traditional children's tale, Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.
More recently, the robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid 19th century. The robin has appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. An old British folk tale seeks to explain the robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin's breast, and thereafter all robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them.
An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory.
The association with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red jackets and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.
In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK.
In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote.
BNSF 3905 and CP 7010 race CP 474 south/east along the deep blue Mississippi River at the always reliable overlook in Dakota, MN on a gorgeous autumn afternoon.
Two reliable F40's pull an outbound North Central rush hour train on Chicago's North-West side. Meanwhile an O'hare International departure gains elevation above, as distant thunderstorm gathers.
The reliable CPKC LL60 job spans the great Norco spillway on this amazing wooden structure. All of a mile long, this area can fill with raging water and is part of the solution to help keep New Orleans from completely flooding after Storms and Mississippi river thaw surges..
Nice truck, bad company. When Polish drivers were cheaper they kicked out the Dutch drivers. Now they are looking for reliable drivers but beware.
I want to be metaphorical, by saying, that our moon is independent, it doesn’t need other moons around and also no rings to keep a bond. S‘agapo my sunny Side of the moon, Kostaki (and thank you for the inspiration!)
You can always rely on coming across a Brown Honeyeater on any given walk through the bush. Chatty and pugnacious, they'd be missed if they weren't there.
Mixed series of six. Lovely day yesterday on the Downs. Although hardly any birds around, I did manage to see my reliable Stonechats.
The day before our blizzard hit was a balmy springlike afternoon. I went searching to see what Mother Nature might have lined up for us in a few weeks. Sure enough, the reliable Lenten Rose (Hellebore) was right on schedule and nearly ready to bloom. In mild winters or with some protection the leaves are evergreen. Today's snow will slow them down a little but won't hurt the leaves or buds.
A former L&N GP38-2 leads a MARC commuter train, pictured at Point of Rocks on June 30th 1989. Just keep this in mind you could have been shooting this thing instead of taking down the Berlin wall... Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the corner with a bottle of Maalox.
Dan Munson photo, JL Sessa collection.
Robin - Erithacus rubecula
Our ever reliable Little Robin...
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae) but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.
The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the south-east, it reaches the Caucasus range. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. The European robin prefers spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in Ireland and Britain.
Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the latter part of the 19th century were unsuccessful. Birds were released around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin by various local acclimatisation societies, with none becoming established. There was a similar outcome in North America as birds failed to establish after being released in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889–1892, and the Saanich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908–1910.
The robin is diurnal, although has been reported to be active hunting insects on moonlit nights or near artificial light at night. Well known to British and Irish gardeners, it is relatively unafraid of people and drawn to human activities involving the digging of soil, in order to look out for earthworms and other food freshly turned up. Indeed, the robin is considered to be a gardener's friend and for various folklore reasons the robin would never be harmed. In continental Europe on the other hand, robins were hunted and killed as with most other small birds, and are more wary.
Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar and other animals which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface. In autumn and winter, robins will supplement their usual diet of terrestrial invertebrates, such as spiders, worms and insects, with berries and fruit. They will also eat seed mixtures placed on bird-tables.
The robin features prominently in British folklore, and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe. It was held to be a storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the god of thunder, in Norse mythology. Robins feature in the traditional children's tale, Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.
More recently, the robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid 19th century. The robin has appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. An old British folk tale seeks to explain the robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin's breast, and thereafter all robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them.
An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory.
The association with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red jackets and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.
In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK.
In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote.
As requested...same image without black border.
New Brighton lighthouse..Wirral..Merseyside.
Got to #3 in explore! :-))
As I often did I would drive from my house in Colorado Springs north to spend a day of photography on the Moffat Route. I usually bypassed and went straight to Hwy 72 usually with a stop at Rocky as inevitably there would be a train in the siding. Such was the case this in summer of 2005 when a pair of SP AC4400Ws were tied down in Rocky siding. On my rating scale SP was a better catch than UP but not as good as a Rio Grande but in 2005 this was a pretty good find.
Most mornings spent on the Dundas Sub will have some eastbound freight trains show up but if all else fails Via #70 can always be counted on.
These crocuses have emerged every February since I planted them, never failing to delight me. As you know, a clump from 2005 became and still is my Flickr icon.
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My goal for the day was to photograph some Box Turtles, and I succeeded! I haven't seen any while out cruising, so I figured I'd visit a reliable spot in the woods. Always love seeing these silly little guys!
The Huntingdon Turn is a CP local job that has been known by many names and symbols in the past. Under the current operating plan it runs as the A84. Called for mid day, the train departs Coquitlam Yard east onto the Cascade Sub mainline in the mid afternoon. It hauls traffic for the three remaining customers on the mainline, as well as several in the Abbotsford industrial park at Huntingdon via the Mission Subdivision branchline. Regardless of the symbol, or era, the schedule seems to have remained the same.
For many years the Mission sub was the domain of four axle locomotives only. Nowadays this train can draw just about any pair of locomotives from the Coquitlam yard and transfer pool. This train can have upwards of forty cars sometimes, so if an ailing GP38 is assigned for power, the crew may have to double the steep southbound grade into Abbotsford. Today A84 has drawn a sharp looking pair of SD's from the the Coquitlam transfer pool. Ex-Soo SD40-2 6607 was recently repainted, and is led by another former Soo unit, SD60 6228. Of course on the day that the job draws the heavy power, the train consists of only one load and four empties.
A84 glides east across the bridge over Kanaka Creek, approaching the control point and crossovers at River Road. Here the train will pull five loads of power poles, freshly peeled and shaped at the small Stella Jones facility, to be sent to one of their other plants for preservative treatment. After pulling the loads, the empties will be spotted, to be loaded up for the next days turn.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph), and as such has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. It typically reaches 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m (3 ft 7 in and 4 ft 11 in). Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg (46 and 159 lb). Its head is small and rounded, and has a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. The coat is typically tawny to creamy white or pale buff and is mostly covered with evenly spaced, solid black spots. Four subspecies are recognised.
The cheetah lives in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male "coalitions", and solitary males. While females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges, males are more sedentary and may instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. The cheetah is active mainly during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk. It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey, mostly weighing under 40 kg (88 lb), and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson's gazelles. The cheetah typically stalks its prey to within 60–70 m (200–230 ft), charges towards it, trips it during the chase and bites its throat to suffocate it to death. It breeds throughout the year. After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of typically three or four cubs is born. Cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores such as hyenas and lions. They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age.
The cheetah occurs in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara and hilly desert terrain in Iran. The cheetah is threatened by several factors such as habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases. Historically ranging throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and extending eastward into the Middle East and to central India, the cheetah is now distributed mainly in small, fragmented populations in central Iran and southern, eastern and northwestern Africa. In 2016, the global cheetah population was estimated at around 7,100 individuals in the wild; it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In the past, cheetahs were tamed and trained for hunting ungulates. They have been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising, and animation.
After my planned chase of an afternoon westbound out of Northern Maine Junction evaporated due to mechanical issues with power and work to do in the yard before leaving, I decided to go after the Hinckley job. SAPPI-3 and SAPPI-4 are easily the most reliable trains in the Waterville area. Eastbound SAPPI-4 left Waterville in the evening after doing some yard switching and having their power serviced. Here they are crossing Martin Stream in Hinckely nearing the end of their day at the Sappi Fine Paper mill in Skowhegan. Today's Hinckley branch is a 9 mile remant of the Maine Central branch to downtown Scowhegan. The only remaining customer is the paper mill. The power certainly isn't what it once was, but it is still nice to have a branch line local running 7 days a week in New England.
Hinckley, Maine
August 27, 2016
I am reliably informed that this move doesn't often happen as a Class 6, usually a light engine move. On this occasion it did produce but only in the form of a few new 'flats'.
Still a better sight than a light engine I suppose...
Sunday 17th November saw the launch of Lothian Country new service X38 operating between Linlithgow, Kirkliston and Edinburgh.
Here is 177 at Waterloo Place departing on the first X38 service to Linlithgow.
CSXT 323 shows off an honorable mention to the L&N RR, aka "The Old Reliable" while hanging out in Bedford Park Intermodal Yard in Bedford Park, Illinois.
I had a long chat with the owner of this, and several other people came and went too.
It turned out he lives quite close to me and I was surprised I hadn't seen the car before, given that it's his daily driver.
It's not immaculate and has a non standard colour and wheels, but as the owner said, it's as much for transport as for show.
It's got the standard and original six cylinder engine, but a modified stainless exhaust means you can hear it coming.
It's pretty reliable in everyday use; much as the car would have been in the 1960's. Odd bits are hard to get and/or expensive. He's got a few bits of trim from Australia and even little badges and bits of brightwork are $100+.
It's always a treat to come across a nice car and a friendly owner. Even the Easter weather was cooperating!
This striking Grosbeak species is usually a target bird for birders accessing this mountain altitude from the lower portions of New Mexico. These birds are seasonally regular at this altitude (8600 ft. msl), but not predictable. Some may winter over at slightly lower altitudes. They often appear in moderate sized flocks... they're quite gregarious. Our created bird oasis eventually draws in nearly all the avian species that are in the area. We've been in a spring drought, and available water can be widely spaced and scarce in this semiarid mountainous region... the birds quickly learn where it's reliably available!
IMG_1083; Evening Grosbeak
Getting a shot of a Sacred Kingfisher in the Sandy Camp Wetland is almost guaranteed. They take advantage of the large number of arboreal termite nests which provide ideal breeding sites throughout the bushland.
Union Pacific SD40N 1948 rolls past some rubber-tired testaments to its reliability as a main-line locomotive for the past four decades.
Built in 1979 for the UP, 1948 is going strong on the Janesville turn as it passes O'Hare Airport on the way out of town, reliability is certainly one of the hallmarks of the SD40 family. Will those trucks still be on the road in forty years?
Not really the go-to or solid backup shot in my case, as I've never stepped foot here before, but all of my research on the remaining semiphores here convinced me this shot was, if nothing else, the one angle I was going to walk away with.
This was almost true, with leaving Trinidad behind the train, losing it again in Raton due to road work, and stopping for the previously-uploaded sub-par shot at Wagon Mound. The stop at Las Vegas, NM allowed me to get ahead of the train once more and set up for the third and last chance I'd have to frame some semiphores on this trip.
The long write-up aside, Amtrak's Southwest Chief rolls up to the classic, well-documented, semiphores at MP 774.2.
Las Vegas, NM
March 14th, 2022