DO1 with the clean 507 eases under the wooden overpass on approach to the junction a couple weeks back, with a respectable 9 cars in tow! I settled for this realizing I didn't leave time to get to the trestle on Great Bay.

Built in 1909 as an important part of the first bridge in Trittenheim, Moselle. The tower was later restored respectably.

This was a super special moment that I was fortunate enough to spend with a mother and baby white rhino on my last trip to Africa.

My driver and I found them on a late afternoon and I spent a good amount of time photographing them. While we did our best to keep a respectable distance from them in the vehicle, they actually crossed the road in front of us after a while. They were that comfortable with our presence. It was almost surreal.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

I'm also on:

22-greg-taylor.pixels.com

www.instagram.com/gregtaylorphotography/

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086780080943

vero.co/gregtaylorphotography

All images are copyright protected so please do not use any of my work for commercial purposes.

Additionally, please do not contact me if you want to do business in NFT's as I am not interested. However, prints are available through my website above with significant new content being added by the week.

North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that consistently charged admission. Wikipedia

Canadian Pacific 2246 leads the US section of the 2019 Holiday Train southbound through the festive streets of Bellevue, IA. Hopefully we'll see this train grace the streets in the near future, but for now we'll just have to wait and see. My DSLR know-how was far below what was necessary to pull off respectable night shots at this point in time (hence the excessive graininess and shabby quality in general), but I've managed to manipulate it enough in post to make it reasonable enough to put here on Flickr. Taken on 12/7/19.

“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys, how’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’ ”

-David Foster Wallace, This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion About Living a Compassionate Life (New York: Little, Brown

and Company, 2009), 3–4.

“ ‘Learning how to think’ really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.”

-lbid., 53.

“being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to. . . . How to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default-setting of being uniquely, completely imperially alone, day in and day out.”

-lbid., 54, 60.

Heading back to the mill, Y121 trundles alongside the Kennebec River in Shawmut with a respectable forty car train, and a pair of Pan Am GP40-2Ws. Amazingly, despite the 90 degree weather, Pete had the nose door closed on the leading 506, avoiding the dreaded Canadian air conditioning that occurs this time of year.

The parked ballast train is about to be scooped. The usual Friday combined power of the Logan and Bozeman locals are on their way back to Bozeman with a respectable train.

8-28-20

This was taken last year on a road trip...my first and so far only hawk shot. It wasn't real clear so I played with it....

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Austere def.

adj.

1. forbodding

2. stark but respectable

Back in the early 1900's many Fiats were built in American in order to avoid the substantial tariffs placed on these imports, and this car was one of those. At the time, Fiats were very expensive, and depending on the coachwork they ranged in price between $3500 and $4500 dollars. And, when you consider the cost of the typical Ford Model T at the time being well under $1000 dollars the Fiats had a huge price tag. And, also huge in size was this car pictured above. One can't really appreciate it's rather intimidating mass until you stand next to it...it's BIG! And powering this one, obviously built for the race track with it's open wheeled configuration, was an equally huge 9 liter 4 cylinder motor pumping out a respectable 75hp. And the sound of it running with it's open headers "snapping, barking, and growling" was also huge on the db scale. And now entering it's 110th year of life it makes a huge presence as it makes the rounds at the show circuits around the country. Did I say "huge" enough? Well, I think you get the picture!

Having just finished switching the upper level of the Blommer Chocolate plant, UP 815 (an ex-MoPac GP38-2) wheels around the curve at Noble Street, Chicago, with a pretty respectable consist in tow. This job, along with the one serving the Tribune and lower level of Blommer, is the nearest freight operation to downtown Chicago these days, coming very close to Ogilvie Transportation Center / North Western Station. It originates at Proviso Yard and serves what few industries exist between there and the downtown area, before tying up in the California Avenue coach yard just west of Tower A-2.

Street Art in Brighton's Bond Street. I think I'm quite Street wise but the 'No fox given' phrase has passed me by.....The word 'fox' in common culture is replaced by another 4 letter word beginning with F...... Meaning I dont care. I must be coming more respectable in my old age! Not as in with the youth of today as I thought!!!!! Well done if you knew that.

You have a good day.....

I decided on a whim to get up early and head off to Fifty Point to photograph the groynes. Every time I go there I see something different. I got what I considered to be some quite respectable blue hour shots, but when I came home I played around with some others and decided I liked this one, tweaked with a sepia tone, a lot better.

It's late afternoon and I'm stood beneath the less weatherproof section of awning at the southern end of Crewe station, thankful that the current downpour has managed to find its way on to the platform and provide a nice basis for light reflections.

Without the motivation of a camera shot, the passenger walking towards me engaged in a phone conversation might be less thankful as he hurries towards to the front of the carriage, and shelter.

The train is a Siemens-built 'Desiro', unit 350111, working LNWR's 4.32pm service to London Euston (1U38). Quite a respectable service it is too taking the direct route and 2 hours 18 minutes for the 158 miles to Euston with most stops being in the Trent Valley between Stafford and Rugby.

With less than 5 minutes to scheduled departure time, the driver is getting himself settled in and happily hasn't yet turned off the cab lights so ensuring a bit of extra detail is captured.

Technically it's far from a perfect offering, and it's certainly pushing the capability of the camera, but there's something about the combination of colours and the atmosphere that I find appealing.

A shot that's better viewed full screen.

1/15s @ F7.1, 2000 asa (auto, less 2.0 stops under-exposed).

4.28pm, 26th November 2019

I unexpectedly spent the first hour or so of an outing with Ali last week grovelling around in the wet grass. Amazed how difficult it was to get something respectable in the camera!

In 1950, American sportsman Briggs Cunningham took a couple of cars based on the 1950 Cadillac Series 61 Coupe' to Le Mans as the first post war American entries. Both finished the grueling 24 hour race, and this less modified one finished a very respectable 10th. I will post the less respectable one next.

Please Right Click and select "Open link in new tab": www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkKK-e_tlYE

'A Sfogliatella - Roberto Murolo

The Legend of a delicious pastry

Firstly, the Legend tells that the sfogliatella was born in the monasteries of Campania.

Dating back almost five hundred years ago.

The sfogliatella riccia, in particular, seems to have been born in the monastery of Naples Croce di Lucca. Baked for the influential and political figures of the time.

The Neapolitan tradition wants the convents of the time to compete with each other. A lively competition about pastry works.

Twist!!! The recipe of the famous three novices of the convent of Croce di Lucca, was stolen.

As in a respectable industrial spy-story, the recipe reached the other convents of Naples soon.

Even the convent of Santa Rosa on the Amalfi coast received the secret recipe. Enriching it with an extra ingredient: the ricotta filling.

and more thrill…

Here we move from spy-story to erotic novel: to a secret love-story. Between one of the sisters of the Amalfi convent and a local pastry chef.

According to some rumors, the boy in question was Pintauro. This guy was the famous pastry chef from Naples in Via Toledo.

For others, the story was a brilliant marketing gimmick from the pastry chef himself..

(www.gourmetaly.com/sfogiatella-napoletana-neapolitan-pastry/) - Gourmetaly

Fall is fading, and although the morning was pleasant, snow was coming some time after sunset but before dawn. I didn't want to believe it, for fall is my favorite season. I was not ready for snow in the morning, but I awoke before dawn to the sound of snow sliding off my tent.

The lava spires occur at a variety of sights around Blue Mesa Reservoir in western Colorado. The ragged spires seem to go well with Gambel oak, sagebrush, and the occasional cottonwood and aspen.

Blue spruce and sagebrush produce the blue tones, cottonwoods and fragrant sumac contribute the yellows, while the Gambel's oaks have faded to reddish browns.

A herd of 6 deer watched me set this shot up while keeping a respectable distance. Back at my campsite, chipmunks, squirrels, pine siskins, Steller's jays, Clark's nutcrackers and cedar waxwings were harvesting seeds from the tall ponderosa pines that were releasing their seeds to the winds.

Back in the early 1900's many Fiats were built in American in order to avoid the substantial tariffs placed on these imports, and this car was one of those. At the time, Fiats were very expensive, and depending on the coachwork they ranged in price between $3500 and $4500 dollars. And, when you consider the cost of the typical Ford Model T at the time being well under $1000 dollars the Fiats had a huge price tag. And, also huge in size was this car pictured above. One can't really appreciate it's rather intimidating mass until you stand next to it...it's BIG! And powering this one, obviously built for the race track with it's open wheeled configuration, was an equally huge 9 liter 4 cylinder motor pumping out a respectable 75hp. And the sound of it running with it's open headers "snapping, barking, and growling" was also huge on the db scale. And now entering it's 110th year of life it makes a huge presence as it makes the rounds at the show circuits around the country. Did I say "huge" enough? Well, I think you get the picture!

Sennyu-ji Temple situates in the Higashiyama District of Kyoto, locating just nearby Tofuku-ji Temple. The origin of the temple can be traced back to the 9th century. It was then refurbished into a present appearance by a monk, Gachirindaishi, in 1226. The temple has been having a strong connection with the imperial family. That is a reason why it is called Mitera, a respectable word to a temple.

The garden of the temple turns out as one of a hidden gem of Kyoto during Autumn. Wearing traditional clothes of Japan, kimono, two ladies are sitting in front of the gorgeously coloured garden which is a mixture of a karesansui and water garden, admiring the play of Autumn colours and its beauty.

I am sorry for my long absence! I have been travelling around Japan to capture all the wonder and beauty the country can offer to the world! Summer has so quickly gone and Autumn is here in Kyoto. Let me know how yours are. I look forward to your new uploads! :D

History. The original location was opened on May 15, 1946, by Tom Koulax (October 26, 1918 - May 28, 1992), the son of Greek immigrants, on the northeast corner of Beverly and Rampart boulevards west of downtown Los Angeles. The stand, which still exists today, sold hamburgers and hot dogs topped with chili. Tom's can be found all over the greater L.A area and beyond, I must say great Chili and respectable tasting Mexican food!

The Sunday Kijfhoek - Beverwijk steel train reached the respectable length of 8 cars this morning. Luckily it was running on time too, so I hadn't risen early for nothing.

I suppose we won't be able to get to the grocery store for a couple of days...snow in Seattle is hell on wheels

c’est un hyménoptère de taille respectable, entre 15 et 22 mm. Elle a l’allure d’une grosse guêpe de couleur noir brillant avec deux larges bandes jaunes sur les tergites (dessus de l’abdomen) 2 et 3, parfois une troisième sur le tergite 4. Les pattes et le corps sont couverts de poils dressés qui lui donnent un aspect hirsute. Les antennes sont épaisses. Les ailes sont fumées, brun-noir avec des reflets bleutés.

Elle préfère habituellement les fleurs bleues mais les fleurs de menthe semblent lui convenir.

It is a hymenopteran of respectable size, between 15 and 22 mm. It looks like a large, shiny black wasp with two broad yellow bands on tergites (upper abdomen) 2 and 3, sometimes a third on tergite 4. The legs and body are covered with erect hairs, giving it a shaggy appearance. The antennae are thick. The wings are smoky, brown-black with bluish reflections.

It usually prefers blue flowers, but mint flowers seem to suit it.

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful

and murder respectable,

and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

-George Orwell

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/175/115/22

Happy Window Wednesday!

Yellow shutters on a building at 67 Rose St in Edinburgh, UK. I walked by these yellow shutters and door several times while in Edinburgh. Each time I passed them, I would admire their bright yellow colour and smile. On this very rainy day in Ottawa, looking at their cheery sunny colour has already brightened my mood 😊

Rose St: “Designed as part of James Craig’s New Town plan in 1767, Rose Street was named after the national flower of England, a consciously unionist paring with Thistle Street. In the 19th century, Rose Street gained a reputation as a seedy backwater, not a place for the respectable classes to be seen after dark…”

Today, Rose St is a pedestrian lane-way that is teeming with pubs, restaurants, shops, and tourists.

Source: ewh.org.uk/street-stories/rose-street/

Backdrop : .PALETO.Backdrop:.DP9 –

Paleto Shop : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GABRIEL2/101/143/501

Hair : CAMO – Marvin Dreads

Shop Camo : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/River%20Village/99/139/2897

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/kowloon/147/11/24/

Hair: Dura-U101-HAIR

Suit:Hotdog - Her Respectable suit . Blue stripe

@TMD

With a respectable train in tow, the Bozeman Local climbs the modest grade out of Logan as it brings the 844 local's cars and power back to Bozeman.

MRL 841 Local (Bozeman Local)

MRL GP35 #401

MRL GP35 #405

MRL SD40-2XR #251

Logan, MT

May 6th, 2022

Taking a break from the heat and humidity I took a tour of the very respectable Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut. This exhibit is Picturing Mystic--views of the Connecticut Shoreline 1890-1950. The art is gorgeous and where possible they show the same location in present day so you get a sense of how it's changed. Without look for the artist's name, in a couple of cases I thought I might be looking at Monet. The work is beautiful. And there is a smaller, but also impressive collection of Sol LeWitt's well-worth seeing too.

youtu.be/5xg3XwjavQU?si=BWU9DPtXJqttN0f-

1) version🏆🏆🏆🏆

youtu.be/VljJ9owWBOY?si=ptNle77_2wdGYSuR 2) version 🏆🏆🏆🏆

“Tact is a delicacy arising from two equally respectable desires: not to disobey one's neighbor and not to alienate oneself. »

Delicacy is also that of the mind and the heart.

A delicate person will always act with care and godness.

"If beauty was a drop of water, you'll be the ocean" ;)

My first try of capturing a water drop shot. It was a little bit trickier than what I initially thought. Nevertheless, I got this somewhat respectable beauty. HMM!

By the time the late 50's rolled around, the very sporty post war jaguar XK120 had evolved to a rather bulbous and stodgy looking vehicle of it's former very beautiful self. The sleek somewhat sensuous lines of the 120 were traded for slab sides offering a bit more interior room for the inhabitants, but IMO, with far less style.

The XK150S had a respectable horsepower rating of 265 bhp with triple SU carbs, and a first ever on any production car at the time, 4 wheel Dunlap disk brakes. The following are some quotes from Rich Taylor's wonderful book, Modern Classics, and when speaking of the brakes he goes on to say, "....but that was about all you could say good about the XK150, except that it was still relatively cheap, relatively pretty if you didn't look too close, and very fast for it's size. Of Course, even a ratty Corvette would eat Jaguars for breakfast seven days till Sunday, and cost less besides.

The biggest problem with early postwar Jaguars-with any Jaguar-is simple deterioration. The front end falls apart, the Lucas electrics fall apart, the engine falls apart, the gearbox goes, likewise the interior, the paint, and the bodywork, hell, everything."

Taylor certainly gives it a bit of a checkered reputation, to say the least! In spite of all that, the XK150's are still a very desirable and classy automobiles with that traditional British eye appeal!

With the train crawling to exit a PSO of 10 mph at MP 36.5 for trains running over 7000 tonnes, A46921-08 reaches the end of the 1.9% uphill grade that started at MP 36 and is just about to enter the 3 miles long 1.9%-2.0% downhill descent between MP 35 and 32.5 on CN's infamous Lac St-Jean subdivision. The stretch between Hervey-Jct and Rivière-à-Pierre is notoriously known for ripping trains apart. Today's 469 is running with engines CN 3233 and 3005 and has a respectable 12 049tons and 7695ft on the headpin, helped by remotes CN 3911 and 3411 placed at mid-train.

A46921-08

3233-3005 DP 3911-3411

Milepost 35.3 CN Lac St-Jean subdivision

Rivière-à-Pierre, QC

Demersus MKVIII

Quasi-rhomboidal Heavy Tank of Holy Preceannesia

Based on an early tank model from a previous war, Demersus was a large yet respectably maneuverable heavy tank, outfitted with seven machine guns and two sponson-mounted cannons. Despite being notoriously unreliable, the MKVIII was a symbol of power sure to turn the tide in trench warfare.

Crew: 12-13

Armament: 7x 7.915mm machine guns, 2x 57mm cannons

Mass: 34 tons

Length: 36’

Height: 9’8”

Engine: V-12 Motrax 300hp engine

Years produced: 1918-21

Max speed: 6.2 mph

This was a surprisingly quick build; the outer sides are identical and the central section with the superstructure is pretty simple.

I am so 😊 happy to announce that Lightman Photography just won a 🏆 "Platinum Award" at the London Photography Award for this capture!!!!!! ✌️

I am thrilled with this respectable acknowledgment of my work… I am 🙏 thankful to all of you for being with me on my journey and building this supportive and creative community…

I promise this is just the beginning… many more achievements to come, and more heights to conquer… 🙏 🙏

My first venture out beyond my local area since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, and fittingly back to Flamborough, East Yorkshire, where I visited just prior to lockdown being imposed. Though this time a little further around the headland at Thornwick Bay.

But whilst sunrise for my visit back in March was a more respectable 6 am, this time it was 4:50 am, requiring a 3 am start . Though I have to say that I was rewarded with near perfect conditions, plus total peace and solitude; no other silly devils up at that time I suppose.

Canon EOS R

Canon EF 16-35 f4

Two shots, one exposed for the sky, the other for the land, and blended together.

Amtrak 42, donning the very respectable paint scheme to honor America's veterans, leads the Eastbound Capitol Limited over Sand Patch, PA, roughly 30 minutes late. Fall has essentially hit its peak, or past its peak by this point, so the hills were (figuratively and literally) dripping with color.

As a veteran myself, I really enjoy seeing this rendition that Amtrak have done to their locomotives to honor America's armed forces. It's a snappy paint scheme to look at, and to me it's very patriotic. Excellent work, Amtrak!

The Lancia Flaminia was introduced in late 1956 as a 1957 model to replace the aging Lancia Aurelia line. Whereas the Aurelia carried the rounded looks of its 1950s design heritage, the Flaminia looked forward to the sharper edges of the 1960s designs.

While Lancia made the mechanical underpinnings and Pinin Farina drew the basic design, coachwork was farmed out to Italy’s finest design and bodywork houses, including Zagato, Touring, Pininfarina and Ghia. This resulted in a number of different special editions, including a special aluminum-bodied fastback by Zagato.

The Flaminia debuted with 2458 cc V-6 engine rated at 98 hp and 137 lb-ft of torque. An optional high compression version of this engine was available for sedans and was installed as standard equipment on coupes and roadsters. The optional engine was rated at 119 hp on coupes and 140 hp on GT coupes and sedans. In 1963, Lancia upgraded the engine to 2775 cc and 150 hp. That engine was used through the end of the line, though the vast majority of Flaminia production happened between 1957 and 1963.

The Flaminia carried a four-speed transmission, and all were rear-wheel drive. Where the older Aurelias used a sliding block front suspension, the Flaminia used modern control arms and coil springs at the front end, but maintained the standard semi-elliptic leaf springs supporting a solid axle at the rear. Four-wheel disc brakes were standard on all Flaminias from the beginning of the line.

From the beginning, various coachworks supplied a variety of body styles under the Flaminia name. The original 1957 design was a pillarless four-door hardtop, but starting in 1958 Farina delivered a two-door coupe while Zagato offered a two-door fastback. There was aldo a two-door Spider convertible, and Touring made a two-door GT coupe as well. Through the 1960s, a variety of bodies continued to come and go. After 1967, production was limited to the original four-door hardtop, known by Lancia as a pillarless sedan.

Throughout the entire run, just 8,745 Flaminias were made. About 6,750 were delivered with the 2.5-liter V-6 engine, while about 2,000 were made after the larger 2.8-liter engine was introduced in 1963.

The Flaminia offered excellent performance for its day. Boasting 0-60 times of about 8.5 seconds and a top speed that could reach 130 mph, Lancia’s sports car was more than respectable. Prices started high, ranging between $6,000 and $7,000 through the early 1960s, but only rose as high as $7,600 in the mid-1960s for the most expensive sport coupe models. The vast majority of Lancia Flaminias hovered around $7,000. For reference, that was about half the cost of a Ferrari 250, and twice the price of a basic Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider in 1960.

Hagerty

Photo taken from the Ciolo Bridge.

The bridge was built in the 1960s to connect the marina of Leuca with that of Novaglie and is now a respectable tourist destination in every respect, nestled in the beautiful landscape this region offers. Another, equally important highlight, besides the bridge's suggestive height, is the area below; besides the crystal-clear blue sea, this area is also known as the Salento Canyon because of its characteristic coastline consisting of rocky ridges, impenetrable cliffs, and the presence of numerous caves.

www.salentissimo.it/en/ponte-del-ciolo.asp

The sister to the previous image, this is the appalling result of Cunningham's attempt to make the '50 Cadillac more streamlined without wind tunnel info, or even a good artist's sence of what is streamlined. Probably the ugliest car that ever competed at Le Mans.....even worse than Bugatti's 'Tank'. But like it's sister it also finished the full 24 hours finishing a very respectable 11th, right behind the factory bodied coupe'.

The central headlight is nice for night racing.......

CTPA's Düwag GT8 1859 reached the respectable age of 65 this year. For the first thirty years of its existence, the tram operated in Germany's Ruhrgebiet. On October 19, 2025, the 1859 entered service on line 6 in Arad. Departure for Piața Romană was awaited at the pleasant starting point of Piața Gai.

The paraboloids, are industrial warehouses having a parabolic coverage with majestic ribbed vaults in reinforced concrete, the perfect combination of functionality and aesthetics, which have gained a respectable position in industrial architecture linked to the Modern Movement and the serial production.

Such industrial style was exported all over Europe.

© All rights reserved

A respectable White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virgianus) buck emerges from a cottonwood hollow nestled in an expansive prairie. Adams County, Colorado.

Though there is nothing inherently spooky about this photo, to me, it is still in the spirit of the season. Many believe that modern day Halloween traditions and festivities have their root in Celtic rituals that celebrated the harvest and the changing of seasons as fall gave way to the lean times of winter.

This transition of seasons also triggers a change in the most beloved, revered game mammal of North America - the white-tailed deer. Bucks, antlers hardened and necks swollen with muscle turn from gentle, nervous creatures of shadow to emboldened warriors full of lust and rage. They emerge from these shadows to seek out the opportunity to breed, and in their wake leave a trail of blood and broken tines.

The buck here had emerged from the dense cover of the cottonwoods pictured in the background on the trail of a group of does. He tested the air and earth for their pheromones, gauging their reproductive readiness, all the while scanning the tree line for would be competitors that might challenge his right to procreate.

Autumn is a special, important time for so many species, ourselves included. Happy Halloween to all my Flickr friends!

A recent 2 week trip to Northumberland resulted in some memorable conditions including a small matter of the aurora! Having never seen the Lights anywhere before to say this was a treat is an understatement, particularly in my favourite part of the world. A red alert pinged at a very respectable early evening hour and staying within a 5 minute drive of the beach saw us there almost before anyone else. Little did we know the treat would be repeated later in the week with a much stronger display but this view remains my favourite as it was one of the first and most exciting!!

We were so very fortunate to see this Western Kingbird nest recently. She was sitting on the nest when we first saw it. When we returned a couple weeks later, the babies were hiding under her. They appeared to be close to fledging so we looked in on them a few days later to find them out of the nest.

Dad was standing guard against Crows and other invaders.

It was such a treat to see them just briefly through the nesting process at a respectable distance. I waited to post until they were gone.

Looning north just before sunset, on an exceptionally clear afternoon. Beyond the large white condo (a vacation rental) is San Simeon Point, then Point Piedras Blancas, and in the far distance the Santa Lucia range meets the sea, where Big Sur 'officially' begins.

In the foreground are Ice Age unconsolidated sands, from great dunes that spread inland during the low sea-stand when much of the ocean water was frozen into ice-sheets a mile or more thick, over Canada, New England, and much of northern Eurasia. Dry land extended to the Farallones off future San Francisco! The last Great Warming ended only about 9,000 years ago. Of course, the Earth's climate continues to warm, as does a lively debate over how much of the warming is due to humans, and how much is natural. You won't read much about the actual scientific debate, sadly, in the popular press, as this has become an item of faith among True Believers. But, geologically speaking, we're at risk of a return of the Ice -- and human CO2 emissions may help to keep that at bay. A respectable (but controversial) hypothesis.

I photographed this magnificent lion in Botswana (2016) . He was accompanied by a female who had already had her fill on the Waterbuck, a respectable sized meal for lions.

Lion habitat has been reduced by 90% in the last centurary, leaving them isolated to smaller areas spread throughout the African continent. (Iifaw).

Thank you all for your kind responses.

Centennial 6936 is accompanied by the Rock Island Heritage locomotive on the head of the "City of Bureau Jct." Running as IAIS Train RRHMA 21, the special has the hammer down past the Rock Island Depot at Geneseo on the IAIS Blue Island Sub. on its eastbound leg of a round trip out of Silvis via Bureau Jct.

The weekend of September 20-21 marked the first mainline outing for equipment owned by Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in the form of two round trips; the "City of Wilton" on Saturday the 20th, which ran from Silvis to South Amana, IA and return, and today's trip the "City of Bureau Jct." from Silvis to Bureau, IL and back on Sunday the 21st. These specials were operated in conjunction with the Iowa Interstate Railroad over their trackage, and served as fundraisers benefiting non-profits like the Central States Steam Preservation Association, and Operation Lifesaver, Inc.

6936 is an EMD DDA40X, and is the the world's largest operating diesel locomotive. Part of a class of 47 locomotives built for Union Pacific between 1969 and 1971, they featured two separate diesel prime movers on one frame, for a total of 6,600 horsepower providing electricity for 8 traction motors across a pair of 4 axle trucks.

The first units built showed up in May 1969 just before UP's Golden Spike Ceremony 100th anniversary in Utah. Being numbered in the 6900's and their timely delivery led to their "Centennial" nickname. This unit was part of the second group built, arriving in January 1971, builder number 35510, frame number 7198-12. Railroaders on the UP once referred to them as "Big Jacks", a term that has since turned into a bit of a misnomer that refers to the respectable, but not nearly as large or powerful freight units that succeeded them in everyday service in the United States.

The engine made its last revenue run May 6, 1985, and was saved for special service by UP. After about 25 years pulling railfan excursions, assisting the operating steam locomotives, display events, Operation Lifesaver Specials, providing power for executive inspections, officer special trips, business trains, and additional company service, the locomotive was used sparingly after 2008 until 2016, and donated to the RRHMA by Union Pacific in late 2022 with several other pieces of historic equipment.

After 14 years, this was the locomotive's long-awaited return to the mainline leading a train, having pulled its last business train in 2011, pulling some of the same UP cars it once moved in heritage fleet service followed by former PRR P70 coaches provided by IAIS.

Railroading Heritage of Midwest America is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote public understanding of the history of railroading in the Midwest. RRHMA accomplishes this goal by preserving, restoring, operating, and interpreting historic locomotives and railcars.

RRHMA is based in Silvis, Illinois in the former Rock Island shop complex. Once home to a 45 stall roundhouse, backshop, office building, power house, water treatment plant, and storehouse. Construction started in 1903, and the site was the Rock's primary shop until the 1980 shutdown. Afterwards the site was sold to Chrome Crankshaft, which later passed to National Railway Equipment. In 2022, RRHMA purchased the complex from NRE. It is now home to UP 5511, UP 3985, UP 6936, IAIS 6988, ATSF 537, and numerous rolling stock, all in various stages of restoration.

I invite you join or donate to the RRHMA today at: www.rrhma.com

Locomotives: UP 6936, IAIS 513

9-21-25

Geneseo, IL