Older Than Dirt

Hi Folks,

In 1955, the last train ran to Greenbush on the South Shore of Massachusetts. I remember because I used the train once coming home from a school in New Hampshire. The train ran from Boston. Another ran from White River Junction. It was a mail train. The postmaster would put the mail bag an a pole, and the train postman would grab it while the train went by, that was after he threw a mail bag out the door. The towns had names like Enfield, Potter Place.

Next year the train will return to Greenbush, going behind my house in Hingham. Same tracks. Same reason, to move people from Boston to the South Shore. Only problem is that they expect to carry, at the most 4000 people. The cost is up to about $800 Million. I think it comes to about $200,000.00 a person. I just love how my government spends my money.

Fred
 
tom&shan":3kmkgt57 said:
I just thought of a few more "old memories".

I saw a keyboard that you put paper into it - they called it a "typewriter". I dont remember those.

Tom
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No cubicles, just rows and rows of desks, each with a Monroe calculator, 'clickity click'.......oh, my God!
 
wineman":n1gmkw1t said:
I'm not proud of this, but in the late 50's I could buy a pack of Lucky Strike straights (no filter) from the vending machine at the local gas station for twenty five cents (a quarter), and get two pennies back, slipped into the cellophane wrapper.

wineman
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Luckys $1.00 a carton at the ship store. "LSMFT, Lucky Strike means fine tobacco; so round, so firm, so fully packed!" Oh my.
 
dotnmarty":3vfclt96 said:
Luckys $1.00 a carton at the ship store. "LSMFT, Lucky Strike means fine tobacco; so round, so firm, so fully packed!" Oh my.
Click to expand...

I thought LSMFT stood for "Loose straps mean flabby ti.."

Just sayin...
 
Remember the little BelCap, Johnny, on the magazine adds and early TV shows....

"Call for Phileeeeppe Moreeeiis...!!!!"

jpm-ada.jpg
 
You guys are really driving it home. I used to go to a movie for 10 cents. When I turned 12 it went up to 20 cents, same price as a haircut. Now I pay $12 for a haircut and that is cheap, and I don't even have any hair. I can also remember walking with my mom down to the festival grounds and hanging out in the little trailer in the afternoons, watching for enemy planes. What a bizarre effort that was looking back. What were they going to attack, our bean fields?
 
Remembering back when we lived in Santa Ana, Ca. and there were acres and acres of orange groves 10 blocks from our house. (Complete with the aroma of orange blossoms in the air).

When the Clyde Beatty Circus would come to town on the train, my dad would drive us down to the train station in the morning while the circus animals were unloaded from the train. The circus animals (elephants, horses etc.) would walk down the street in front of our house enroute to the circus grounds.

We use to go to Knotts Berry Farm after church on Sundays for fried chicken dinner, with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, rolls with (home made "Knotts Berry Farm" jams and jellies), and of course fresh pie with ice cream for dessert. (All this before, Disneyland existed!)

Also remember, dad somehow arranging a trip to Catalina in a 40 foot Navy lifeboat for a group of folks. While at Catalina, a family friend offered to pay me a penney for every fish I counted while submerged in a Diving Bell, that was located near the casino. (I counted enough fish to be able to purchase two toy revolvers in a dual holster set). The return trip was with wind and heavy seas. (It was the first time I drank a cup of coffee, because that was the only thing available to try to warm up my insides).

Also, remember trips across the U. S. on trains.

How about the trips to Yosemite National Park and watching the "Fire Fall" from the cliff above the valley. (We also stood on top and watched as the "Fire" was pushed over the crest of the cliff).
 
'50's TV Trivia Quiz (easy)

01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________.

02. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched them on The _______________ Show.

03. "Get your kicks, ___________________."

04. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed___________________."

05. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________."

06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we "danced" under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the "_____________."

07. "N_E_S_T_L_E_S", Nestle's makes the very best....... _______________."

08. Satchmo was America's "Ambassador of Goodwill." Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.

09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________.

10. Red Skelton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, "Good Night, and "________ ________".

11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________.

12. The cute litle car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW . What other names did it go by? ____________ & _______________.

13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a son g about, "the day the music died."This was a tribute to ___________________.

14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.

15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the ________________. !











ANSWERS:

01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02. The Ed Sullivan Show
03. On Route 66
04. To protect the innocent.
05. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
06. The limbo
07. Chocolate
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch
10. Freddy, The Freeloader,and "Good Night,and may God Bless."
11. Draft cards (Bras were also burned.)
12. Beetle or Bug
13. Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hoola-hoop
 
If you want something harder and more detailed, go the The Hull Truth, Bilge Forum and they have several threads about obscure stuff to stump those of us who haven't recalled some of the details in years!

WARNING: Some of the folks over there are real "Barracudas of the Internet", and it can be a bit of a minefield on some threads!

Also go and check out the Boating Forum, it's the best of their offerings!

Joe.
 
Here's one for you..... I was just recounting to Myrna, over lunch, how instead of attending my formal college graduation ceremony back in 1972, I was instead climbing Devil's Tower with my pal. We had decided to take most of the summer off after our senior year to go climbing out west. We drove over 6000 miles in a '63 Plymouth, were gone over two months, and the whole trip cost us $125 a piece, not including a set of tires of which we were in dire need even prior to our departure. Gas was $0.25 a gallon. Man, would I love to spend a summer like that again.
Al
 
OK you "older than dirt" types - and you know who you are, here's a site for you. http://tropicalglen.com/ Sawdust, you'll have to click on "Swing Era" (to the left of 1952 on the screen) to go back to the '30's and '40's. (Marine fossil era)

Enjoy

I sure am

Don
 
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