just curious

[r.cprmier]

Richard Cormier.  Master Electrician 30 years, four to go. (Approx. 40 years in trade).
Born: Boston, Mass. 1945AD.
former Ssgt, SAC (USAF)
Father of two good kids, grandpappy of one.
NY NH&HTD fanatic, especially after coming to Ct after the service, and seeing the " hi-volt cat" over the viaduct 'twixt New Haven and GCT; though that coaling tower at Cedar Hill-still standing-has always impressed the daylights out of me.

Presently the CEO, CFO, chief cook and bottle washer, and gopher extrodinaire of the Portsmouth Terminal and Hoosic Railway.

Probably the only guy with a picture of Karl Donitz between Ike and Gen. Bradley in my office;  A reminder that class people can be found everywhere!!

I likes trains, wimmen, and  song-in that order!

[CJCrescent]

CJ!! You don't know where the big city of SALEM, AL. is?? Actually, there are 3 SALEM communities, but mine is the only one with a real official UNITED STATES POST OFFICE!! One community is up near Huntsville, another is a bit southwest of Montgomery, and mine (THE BIG CITY) is about midway between Phenix City and Opelika,. The "city" is on 431/280, but I'm in the "suburbs", on hwy. 179, about 3 miles north of another big city called "Crawford", on hwy 80!   We're getting our house refinanced, and the closing is scheduled for next week, so maybe soon I'll be able to go back (after over two years!!) and see what the place looks like!! I'm getting old, so I really can't remember!! Oh, well....
                                                                                           LATER!!
                                                                                            Ernie
                                                                                 Hendersonville, NC

Believe it or not, I do know where Crawford is. My Dad and I, when I was a teenager, worked on the expansion of St. Margrets Hospital in Columbus. Since we couldn't drive from Selma,( the correct spelling of Salem, BTW ) everyday, we rented a small house trailer in Crawford! It was the only place we could find "close" ! I worked there until a concrete form collapsed on me and I spent 2 weeks in the hospital there in Columbus with 2` chemical and heat burns from the setting concrete!

[bevernie]

CJ!! You don't know where the big city of SALEM, AL. is?? Actually, there are 3 SALEM communities, but mine is the only one with a real official UNITED STATES POST OFFICE!! One community is up near Huntsville, another is a bit southwest of Montgomery, and mine (THE BIG CITY) is about midway between Phenix City and Opelika,. The "city" is on 431/280, but I'm in the "suburbs", on hwy. 179, about 3 miles north of another big city called "Crawford", on hwy 80!   We're getting our house refinanced, and the closing is scheduled for next week, so maybe soon I'll be able to go back (after over two years!!) and see what the place looks like!! I'm getting old, so I really can't remember!! Oh, well....
                                                                                           LATER!!
                                                                                            Ernie
                                                                                 Hendersonville, NC

Believe it or not, I do know where Crawford is. My Dad and I, when I was a teenager, worked on the expansion of St. Margrets Hospital in Columbus. Since we couldn't drive from Selma,( the correct spelling of Salem, BTW ) everyday, we rented a small house trailer in Crawford! It was the only place we could find "close" ! I worked there until a concrete form collapsed on me and I spent 2 weeks in the hospital there in Columbus with 2` chemical and heat burns from the setting concrete!

OUCH!!   I'm sorry!!! "SELMA" is NOT the "correct spelling" of SALEM!!! They are two seperate, different towns! Selma is west of Crawford, while "Salem" is north of same!! Please do not confuse the two. And where is "St. Margrets Hospital"? I'm familiar with "St. Francis" (that's where I had my tonsils removed!!), but not St. Margrets. You were talking about Columbus, GA., weren't you?     Well... gotta go to work!!                   Later, Dude!!
                                                                                        Ernie

[CJCrescent]

OUCH!!   I'm sorry!!! "SELMA" is NOT the "correct spelling" of SALEM!!! They are two seperate, different towns! Selma is west of Crawford, while "Salem" is north of same!! Please do not confuse the two. And where is "St. Margrets Hospital"? I'm familiar with "St. Francis" (that's where I had my tonsils removed!!), but not St. Margrets. You were talking about Columbus, GA., weren't you?     Well... gotta go to work!!                   Later, Dude!!
                                                                                        Ernie

Ernie...ohhh Ernie,

Hey, I'm picking at ya! You see, I was born and raised in SELMA! Thats why I said SELMA was correct spelling for SALEM. No self-respecting town should ever misspell SELMA like SALEM has!
It was in 1970 that Dad and I worked in Columbus at the hospital, and I was only on the job for 4 days, (carpenters helper), before the concrete form blew out onto me. (32 cubic yards of quick setting concrete is not only heavy but very very hot!) Got a few very faded scars left as trophies. Dad got me the job as his helper since I had been "helping" him since I was 10, building houses, repairing things etc...I have only been back to Columbus once since and that was for a one day train show four years ago!
When I got those burns, I spent 2 weeks there, but being just 18 at the time, it was just a fog, (thank goodness for MSO4 and all I had ever paid attention to there is/was a statue of a Saint in front, and at the time, no external name. It is/was very similar to the one that was in front of Old St. Margaret's Hospital in Montgomery. I could never remember names of some of the Hospitals, I even worked in as an RN. I was an OR nurse for almost 30yrs before I retired.
You may think this is funny, but I remember the name of the Hospital where I took my training, and spent 10yrs at and the one I retired from after 15yrs, but the other three I spent 1 -2 years at each, I'd have to think what their names are REAL hard! At one I worked at, a private institution, it was said its only advantage was that it was close to a real Hospital that was across the river from it! 

[Alex V.]

I'm 15.  I'm from Salem, MO, and I do some modeling and railfanning.  So far I've started 3 HO layouts, none finished yet.  I've photographed BNSF trains on the Thayer and Cuba subs.

[HOplasserem80c]

go missouri!!!!!! webster

[Gene P.]

Hello!!
I live in East Hampton New York, and I work in Sag Harbor New York at an ACE hardware. I have a 36' x 24' around the basement freelanced layout(someday I'll be finished, right?). Started out in HO 28 years ago, lost interest and then in 2003 dabbled in O scale. O got very expensive very fast and I made the switch back to HO. I'm not a prototype guy, I love trains and will run anything that I like.
Great thread!!

[Stephen D. Richards]

Amen GeneP,  I love 'em all!