Robert Pence

It's decent of them to acknowledge Colorado Railcar. I suppose it gives them more credibility in the market than a new startup would get, because Colorado Railcar was an established and respected name in the business. I like the burgundy color scheme on the unit in the first photo. It's sort of retro and classier IMO than the blue-and-white. DMU equipment opens up so many possibilities compared with electric MU, because all it needs is a decent set of tracks with available capacity and no catenary infrastructure that costs bundles of money and takes time to erect.

Stunning images, Sherman!

Great photos. The area looks lively, with lots of color, a variety of architectural styles and ages, and a bunch of theaters. One observation that just registered with me: there are some very wide streets in the photos, but they don't dominate my impression of the area or create a sense of desolation like in some cities because there's so much color and energy in the building facades and signage.

Thanks for the beautiful photo tour. I like your mix of wide overviews and intimate details. Some of the places bring back memories of a forum meet in 2006, a.k.a The Columbus Death March. Someone said that the ones of us who went the whole distance covered about seven miles on foot that day.

Love these! Early summer is my favorite time because it's a relief from the dreariness of winter, and everything's so fresh and full of life. And the eye candy doesn't hurt, either.

Good stuff. Contrary to the opinions I've heard so often, I really admire the State Capitol. I know it's not all adorned with all the Beaux Arts stuff that people are used to seeing on so many state capitols, but that's because it's older than most. The design and a substantial part of the construction predates the Civil War, and we don't have very much surviving in major public works from that era.

Judging by the amount of territory you cover on your photo tours, I figured you must already own a pair of enchanted shoes! :wink:

Wonderful urban space!

Gorgeous photos, impressive tour. Although I've only been there once since I started hanging out on UO, I'm delighted to see the changes in OTR that the photos show. It's been quite remarkable in a comparatively short time.

Nifty logo!

Much of Southern Indiana is impoverished, especially along the new-terrain route, and some people there think the road will bring economic development in the form of industries as well as bringing more tourist revenue to French Lick and West Baden Springs. The people who want to build the road capitalize on those hopes while obfuscating the long-term property-tax implications and other local costs associated with the project. The people who really want the road are trucking companies, construction contractors, and possibly people who bought land in the right places when it was dirt cheap. In other parts of the state it's promoted as good for commerce because it provides a Great Lakes-to-Mexico expressway for trucks. As such, it's a case of Goverment taking taxpayers' money to build a corridor for the trucking industry and giving trucking a subsidized advantage over the railroads that build and maintain their own rights-of-way and then pay taxes on them. It subsidizes a transport mode that uses three to five times more petroleum energy per ton-mile than rail freight, but even if the trucks were to disappear overnight, it likely still would be built because Mitch Daniels wants it. He almost always manages to bully his way through to achieve his goals, no matter what public desires or long-term public good dictate. Long-haul freight belongs on steel wheels on steel rails, not on rubber tires on pavement. The Indiana I-69 extension, even if built, could well become a white elephant if other states wise up to the folly and don't build their portions to complete the link-up. Another thought occurred to me; if the whole road across all the states is built, it will connect Michigan with Mexico. I'm having a little difficulty seeing how that will benefit Michigan. If anything, it looks like it will make it easier for the few remaining industries to load up their equipment and inventories and head for the border.

In its hey-day, Lima's industrial mainstay, the one that spread the name of the city far and wide, was Lima Locomotive. According to Wikipedia: Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line and the Nickel Plate Road main line and shops. The company is best known for producing the Shay geared logging steam locomotive, and for being the home of William E. Woodard's "Super Power" advanced steam locomotive concept - exemplified by the prototype 2-8-4 Berkshire, Lima demonstrator A-1. The last Lima Shay geared locomotive built (1944), at 162 tons the biggest one still existing, in tourist-train service at Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia: 1944-built Lima Berkshire 2-8-4 locomotive restored and operated by Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society:

Good tour. I used to go to Lima fairly often, but haven't been there in 30 years or so. Downtown definitely looks better than it did then. The city was a dangerous place after dark, then.

I like that set a lot; the clarity and saturation of the colors and the simplicity of the forms will make a striking gallery exhibit.

Got it last Fall, but didn't start to see its full potential until recently; I was shooting with a 24-120mm VR zoom, and under critical examination that lens just isn't sharp a lot of the time. I picked up a used 28mm AF 2.8 at the camera shop near my house for $100, and it's become my favorite for a lot of walking-around photography. It's pretty sharp, and just the right focal length for a lot of what I do. I've been using the el-cheapo Nikkor 70-300mm non-VR zoom too, and it's not bad for the $139.95 I paid for it. I shot these with it.

Nikon D700 ISO 400 Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AF 1/100 @ f/13

Beautiful, and it'll continue to become more interesting as the landscaping grows in.

It closed last October? I'm surprised it stayed open that long. I went to Cincinnati for a forum meet in May 2006, and booked a room at the Terrace Hotel through Expedia.com. It was a rip-off crap-hole then. Upon check-in, it was apparent that the hotel had sh!tty floors for discount bookings, and nicer ones for the people who drove the Escalades I saw in the valet area. (They got wine & cheese baskets at check-in.) The valets kept cars in the curbside spots reserved for loading and unloading by self-parkers in order to try to make people use the valet parking, and the desk clerk tried to tell me that their valet parking was the cheapest parking in the area at $19 per night. I found parking two blocks away in the Cinergy Center garage for $8 per 24 hours. My room was barely tolerable, not worth the $100 plus tax and surcharges. The upholstery on the armchair was torn, the TV remote was broken, and the coffee maker was broken. In the hall outside, the soft-drink vending machine was broken as was the ice machine. There was some kind of softball tournament going on and several teams were staying in the hotel. They congregated outside the elevators at 2 a.m. for long periods, with lots of loud talk and raucous laughter. Once as I was leaving my room, I saw a couple f**king on the floor in the hallway two doors down. The hotel was the only negative aspect to that weekend in Cincinnati. I had a good time and met a great group of people. Overall I found Cincinnatians to be friendly and hospitable.

I think the old picture post cards are much more interesting than the ones one often finds now. Many of the old ones let a building stand alone, and show off its design in a way similar to the way an architect might have rendered it. Today's photo post cards are often a mish-mash of stuff, and seldom feature any particular building. I guess that coincides with an apparent general lack of interest in eye-pleasing building forms, especially in many small and mid-sized cities. That's especially evident in school architecture; look at the school buildings thrown together now like a mix-and-match kit, compared with some of those beauties in the post card images.

HeHe! I was feeling up to some sh*t and I just couldn't help myself! :-D Sorry! :wink:

Some rail-traffic hot spots have put up pavilions in good train-watching spots, complete with audio of railroad radio traffic. Providing a good, safe facility is a plus for the railroads, too; rail photographers and train watchers will come, no matter what, and a well-designed accomodation helps avoid trespassing and liability risks.

Good stuff! Neat-looking places; the area looks very livable in summer.

Excellent photos; I like the rich saturation in colors and your unique viewpoint on a lot of often-photographed scenes (like the Garfield Memorial).

Congrats! You've already demonstrated that you know your way around a camera, and I'll be looking forward to seeing more photos. That kitty is a seductive charmer! :-)

If you're extremely sensitive to it as I am, and due for two weeks of seeping blisters, spreading rash, and all-night insane itching, see your doctor for a cortisone shot. That and some lotion will relieve your discomfort within 24 hours.