Straddling the Centuries

A late 20th century tractor in an early 19th century barn. That's as modern as were going to get here.

Fordson Model F 1920

Cue the music. The Ford motor age has arrived. The Fordson Model F was the first mass produced light weight affordable farm tractor. Produced by Henry Ford and Son Inc., yes, the same Henry Ford and his son Edsel, from October 1917 through February 1928. My best guess is that the one pictured rolled off the Dearborn, Michigan assembly line in 1920. That makes this machine a spry 93 years old.

Side Mower

Horse drawn side mower. We are in the age of steel, but not yet the internal combustion engine motor age. Note the log construction detail on the barn.

Appalachian Barn

Appalachian barn in the Virginia highlands, Gate City, VA.

Hay Rake

Horse drawn hay rake, aka landscape rake. But we have moved into the 20th century.

Pen in Hand

My poem, The Last Breath of Winter, is published today on page 7 of the Spring 2013 issue of Pen in Hand, the newsletter of the Maryland Writers' Association.

Goin' into town for supplies...

Hitch up the buckboard. We're goin' into town for supplies.

Barn and Wagon Shed

The is the largest of the old outbuildings on the farm. An old buckboard wagon can be seen under the shed roof extension on the left.

All Cooped Up

Old chicken coop on a family homestead near Gate City, Virginia. The farm, which sits right on Daniel Boone's Wilderness Trail, has been in the same family since 1810. The coop isn't quite so old in comparison.

Next Stop - Staunton, Virginia

A little change of venue, if not subject manner. Did not hike to this spot. Stopped there for lunch while driving down to Kingsport, TN. This is not a defunct or museum station. Staunton, located in the beautiful Shenandoah valley, still has passenger rail service. We ate in a restaurant located in what was once the freight depot next to the passenger terminal.

Reminds me of a painting

It's not all cold hard steel and ruins out there

Seminary Ruins, Ilchester

The impressive staircase up to the grounds of what was once St. Mary's College, a Redemptorist seminary at Ilchester, Maryland, which overlooked the Patapsco river, and what was once an equally impressive outdoor altar on the grounds. The seminary existed for a hundred years before being abandoned in the 1970s. The buildings then suffered much vandalism and arson before they were finally bulldozed to eliminate the more dangerous hazards posed by the damaged buildings. Most of the property is now part of the Patapsco Valley State Park. At this link you can see vintage postcard photos of the main building and the outdoor altar before their destruction. The history given with the postcard photos at the link is incomplete for the period after 1907.

Steel Away - Hauling Off American Steel

Today, just below the Ilchester tunnel on the CSX / B&O Old Main Line, this maintenance vehicle is rolling on newly laid Nippon Steel rails and hauling off old US Steel rails, which were laid in 1958. They were working in the tunnel today. Otherwise it was a beautiful day for hiking with a friend and one of my brothers.

US Steel - What Happened?

Recently I have spent a lot of time walking the rails of the CSX / B & 0 RR Old Main Line, have posted many photos of the tracks. You may have noticed that there are unsecured rails laying next to the tracks and between dual tracks. A major rail maintenance project is in the works. The new rails and plates are being laid out all along the line in preparation for swapping out the old rails for new. In the past week I looked closely at the old and new rails. The old rails were manufactured by US Steel in Illinois in 1957. Assuming they were placed on the tracks in 1958, they have carried trains for 55 years! The new replacement rails, set to be placed in 2013 were made in 2012 in Japan. I aked myself: How is it possible for Japan, which has so few natural resources that prior to WW II  it was importing scrap metal from the US for their war efforts, can produce steel rails and transport, them across the Pacific ocean, then over or around North American to Baltimore cheaper than a US steel manufacturer can make them and deliver them here in the USA? What has happened to our country? And why?

Do Not Try This In Your Personal Pickup

You know who you are!

First Stop on America's First Railroad

A Cup of Coffee

This afternoon I walked to Ellicott City for a cup of coffee at the Bean Hollow. My stroll took only four hours, with time for the coffee and some photography. I started at the Union Dam tunnel beneath the Rt. 40 bridges over the Patapsco river in the Hollofield Section of the Patapsco Valley State Park, and walked south along the river and the rails of the CSX / B&O Railroad Old Main Line. After a nice stop stopover at the Bean Hollow I walked back. I started at 1:45 and finished at 5:35, just in time to drive home for dinner. A beautiful day for a walk. In the photo above you can see the Ellicott City B&O Railroad Museum in the center, with the low sloping roof, just to the right of the rails. Here's a nice little map.

Steam Tug Baltimore

This historic 1906 vessel looks like a mother ship nursing the dinghies nestled against her side.

The Sphinx of Ilchester