Really OT - Train buffs here at all?

[L number Banana]

Just checking and wanted to share my grief about the lovely historic train station out my front window - I hate politics. If anyone wins the el gordo (sp) lottery, please lend me 1.5 million to save this....
http://www.saveourstationkingston.org/

Kidding about the money of course! The city could have bought the station for one dollar, the 1.5 was the suspect tender to restore the station.

[Chrysichthys]

I used to live in Kingston and I have to say I always thought it was an eyesore.

[sidguppy]

as a kid I had trains; a whole plywood table with little mountains, plastic houses, railroads, those funny looking pine trees that look like fuzzy wurly's, teeny weeny plastic cows and deer (i skipped on people for obvious reasons) and loads of up to scale cars.

most of the landscaping was done by yours truly.
plaster caster ftw.
some chickenwire, old newspapers, plaster and paint: voila: another mountain

it was fun!

later i ditched the trains and added dinosaurs, wich was more fun

[L number Banana]

I used to live in Kingston and I have to say I always thought it was an eyesore.

My whole town or just the building? I love the architecture and the history so hopefully it will no longer be the eyesore you remember. Especially if I get to do the landscaping...

as a kid I had trains; a whole plywood table with little mountains, plastic houses, railroads, those funny looking pine trees that look like fuzzy wurly's, teeny weeny plastic cows and deer (i skipped on people for obvious reasons) and loads of up to scale cars.

most of the landscaping was done by yours truly.
plaster caster ftw.
some chickenwire, old newspapers, plaster and paint: voila: another mountain

it was fun!

later i ditched the trains and added dinosaurs, wich was more fun

Were the dinos incorporated into the train scenes?

I'm hoping to make a train garden in front of this building, a little like a very small version of Madurodam (sp???) in Amsterdam. Small versions of the university, town hall etc. Should be fun!

[Bas Pels]

Madurodam (sp???) in Amsterdam

That would be Den Haag. Perhaps 50 km to the south from Amsterdam, but due to trafic jams an hour by car

Just to prevent people trying the wrong city

(Amsterdam is our captital, but Den Haag is the seat of our government. I can imagine these are mixed up more often, as almost all countries have their government in the capital)

[L number Banana]

That would be Den Haag. Perhaps 50 km to the south from Amsterdam, but due to trafic jams an hour by car

Just to prevent people trying the wrong city

(Amsterdam is our captital, but Den Haag is the seat of our government. I can imagine these are mixed up more often, as almost all countries have their government in the capital)

Oops, Thank You for clarifying, Bas Pels!
I mixed them up because the last time I was there, I was only 12 so the memory is a bit foggy

[fischkringli]

When I was a child I liked trains, too. Then came the aquaria and no chance for the trains. I sold them and now I buy a new tank. 300l Brakish with mudskippers, but its hard to find some catfish for brakish-water with 2% Salt.

[Chrysichthys]

My whole town or just the building?

Just the building, the town is fine (except for maybe the student ghetto, where a student party
in an old house once caused the floor to collapse).

[sidguppy]

but its hard to find some catfish for brakish-water with 2% Salt.

actuallt it's dead easy finding a catfish that likes 2% salt; Hexanematichthys seemanni is available in almost all LFS.....

the REAL problem is that this fish gets quite big. too big for the small waterpart of a mudskipper tank

most of a mudskipper tank should be a terrestrial part, since it's a fish that lives on land.....

[L number Banana]

Chrysichthys:

Just the building, the town is fine (except for maybe the student ghetto, where a student party
in an old house once caused the floor to collapse).

Unfortunately that sinkhole is still alive and well - rented 400 extra police officers last homecoming. Could have used that money for a few other things I think.

I don't know when you were last here but remember the university/hospital waterfront? Now you look across to Wolfe Island and see huge windmills!!! Kick-off day is June 1st.

If the train station is ever saved, I hope it will be at least nicer that what people remember. We're just scared of someone sticking a Walmart type thing there

I've been to Oxford and it's an architectural dream for people like me - soak it up, I've forever jealous but in a good way

[L number Banana]

fischkringli :

When I was a child I liked trains, too. Then came the aquaria and no chance for the trains. I sold them and now I buy a new tank. 300l Brakish with mudskippers, but its hard to find some catfish for brakish-water with 2% Salt.

Our little campaign is more about saving a historic train station but since I'm a horticulture fanatic and a train buff, heh, heh, this give me an opportunity to create a native/historic plant garden WITH a working garden train

Weren't you breeding Mudskippers? I'm working overtime alot right now, so my brain is somewhat fuzzy

Don't forget to post pics of your brakish adventures when you get the chance.

When I was a child I liked trains, too.

Hey, don't grow up too fast, 14 is still young at least.

[worton[pl]]

Hey,

what about

Platystacus cotylephorus

for your brackish tank? It doesn't grow that big and is really interesting catfish . Not so easy to find but I'm sure you will be able to purchase it somehow .

Hope you will save this train station . I love all old buildings .

Regards.

[fischkringli]

L number Banana wrote:

Weren't you breeding Mudskippers? I'm working overtime alot right now, so my brain is somewhat fuzzy

No Im breeding Chlamydogobius and Mugilogobius. And at the moment Redigobius balteatus.

Don't forget to post pics of your brakish adventures when you get the chance.

At the moment they are in the 50l breeder tank, I uploaded a picture. The 300l brakish tank works, but there is a nitrate peak at the moment. Its my Birthday gift (at 19th may, Im 15)

worton[pl] wrote:

what about Platystacus cotylephorus for your brackish tank?

Great Idea, Ill wath after it. In german its callled Banjowels, so at the beginning I wondered, so many Platystacus cotylephorus-keepers, but it was Bunocephalus coracoideus .

[sidguppy]

careful with Platystacus; it's sensitive to nitrate and nitrite and such, that's how a friend of mine lost his pair (wich was my pair before that)

also: they have quite a big mouth; a small goby will be a snack

it looks like a Banjo, but it's temperament is different, it has also a different activity level.

[fischkringli]

Mudskippers dont like ntrate, too, so it will be a tank without or with very low nitrate. The other tankmates will be Toxotes jaculatrix and Vespicula depressifrons, also a predator.

[L number Banana]

Worton[pl]:

Hope you will save this train station . I love all old buildings .

Thanks for your good wishes! It may not be old compared to some of the magnificent buildings in Poland (lucky you ) but all the same, it's history and it's pretty cool masonry and unusual for this area. The main town has many "old" buildings but my part of town used to be a shipyard and railway area. Found lots of interesting bits when I dug my pond . The oldest area is a Native American burial ground about a five minute walk away and has untouched Carolinian hardwood forest. Protected, thank goodness Hope this project goes the same way

[sidguppy]

Found lots of interesting bits when I dug my pond

Jeffrey Dahmer's private collection of skulls and ribcases?

you, naughty you!

[L number Banana]

sidguppy:

Jeffrey Dahmer's private collection of skulls and ribcases?

Those are in the front garden under the black lilies.

From the Wiki of one of the SIX penitentiaries here:

Kingston Penitentiary has been home to many of Canada's most dangerous and notorious criminals. James Donnelly, patriarch of the infamous Black Donnellys, was sentenced to be hanged on September 17, 1859, for the murder of Patrick Farrell. A petition for clemency started by his wife Johannah saw his sentence reduced to seven years in Kingston Penitentiary.

Notable current inmates include Paul Bernardo, and formerly, Clifford Olson, Roger Caron and Grace Marks. Wayne Boden, the Canadian "Vampire Rapist" died there in March 2006.

So you just never know..

[Chrysichthys]

Unfortunately that sinkhole is still alive and well - rented 400 extra police officers last homecoming.

Hey, I used to live in that sinkhole! I guess some things never change. I remember when they had to get extra police from Ottawa for Homecoming. Kingston does have some nice architecture, though.

[L number Banana]

Chrysichthys:

Hey, I used to live in that sinkhole!

Thank goodness Oxford rescued you! A brain is a terrible thing to waste.

(I lived there too... )

[sidguppy]

A brain is a terrible thing to waste.

"of all the things I lost, I miss my mind the most!"

Ozzy Osbourne

[Chrysichthys]

The May Day student tradition here is to get drunk and dive off Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell. A few necks get broken every year.

[L number Banana]

Strangley, those last two posts fit together very well.

[sidguppy]

yeah; the consumption of large quantities of alcohol and stupid stunts go hand in hand

I can remember at one time when we had this party going on for a day or so (started at friday, it lasted into sunday or so) and at a certain time a friend of mine thought it was funny to toss my old bike off a viaduct.

I had to disagree ofcourse, so once I collected my bike (what was left it) from the road below, I dragged it up the viaduct and reasoned that if anyone would toss off my old bike it would be me

the wee little fly in the ointment was that he had looked down when he threw my bike down and I -being the older one and hence the least mature- didn't.

when my bike hit the asphalt and turned into this twisted crunched utterly destroyed piece of crap I thought it was pretty cool

the cyclist the bike landed about 3 feet from his front wheel away from probably thought it was several hundred degrees less cool than I did

he could avoid it, but aged some 10 years in 5 seconds

alcohol + creativity = stupid shit. fastest way to turn oneself into a real asshole, definitely.

[sojapat]

Hi I used to be a fireman on a preserved railway in England
KWVR , I spent my free Sundays , working on the loco's
I was caretaker of a BR ST class 2 78022 ,
I enjoyed the things ...so much but Pier Aquatics (ball and chain) prevents this now.
I can see where you are coming from .
The fine line between history and progress is always an issue
I love the old buildings too but sometimes they are no longer practical ?
Shame

[L number Banana]

Sojapat,

Wow, that train is a beauty. The next project that's already got some funding is a historic train in the downtown it's the Canadian Pacific Railway D10h class 4-6-0 steam locomotive #1095 Spirit of Sir John A. Picture of it here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... John_A.jpg
It needs too much work to fully restore but at least people can see it. Used to be able to board it when I was a kid.

I love the old buildings too but sometimes they are no longer practical ?

I think the real problem with this one is that it's not downtown but it's located in a poorer area. The kind of place that has actual sidewalks and neighbours all know each other, all the new immigrants (true refugees not professionals), disabled people, low income seniors etc. (It's lovely and I wouldn't live anywhere else! ) But lower income equals less voters so not an area that doesn't get funding easily

The town has two UNESCO heritage sites (Fort Henry and the Rideau Canal) so it's a tourist town already. If we could pick up the building and move it to a trendy location, it would be restored in a month or two! The actual cost of restoration is much less that the submitted estimate but everyone thinks that estimate was submitted by people that may have something to gain by tearing the building down because it's so high. Only the shell needs restoration that's accurate historically, the inside was already a restaurant etc.The main thing now is to get more accurate estimates but the city won't let volunteers do an estimate with the actual building, only the prints and the outside. It could make a nice 'hello' to tourists coming off the main highway but now it doesn't say hello, it says 'go away'!
Fingers crossed