Montreal and Southern Counties Railway trolley car, Canada, mid-1950s

The Montreal and Southern Counties Railway (often abbreviated M&SCRC or M&SC) was an electric interurban/streetcar line that operated for nearly 47 years providing a transport link between Montreal and various communities on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River.  The railway began operations on 1 November 1909 and officially shut down on 14 October 1956, following declining ridership.

Originally built by the Grand Trunk Railway, the system came under the control of the Canadian National Railway in 1923 when Grand Trunk was absorbed. 

The main interurban line ran 47 miles (75 kilometers) from Old Montreal, crossing the Victoria Bridge into St. Lambert, and extending deep into the countryside all the way to Granby, Quebec. A shorter, dedicated suburban branch also served the city of Longueuil. 

In Montreal and dense suburban hubs, the M&SC shared tracks directly with local streetcars, running right down the middle of the street. In rural areas, it transitioned to its own separate, dedicated right-of-way where it could pick up speed.

Car #600 belongs to the 600-series fleet built around 1917 specifically to handle the long-distance expansion line to Granby, Quebec and features a heavy wood and steel composite frame painted in the dark green Pullman livery of the Canadian National Railway system. 

The roof line includes a "deck roof" profile with small clerestory windows for ventilation. These were primarily single-end cars and because they only had a driving cab at one end, they were frequently coupled back-to-back in trains of two or three cars so they could be driven in either direction without needing a turnaround loop.

Because these cars traveled through freezing Quebec winters, they were equipped with a Peter Smith coal-fired heating stove. Located inside the main cabin, this stove fed heat directly into a series of forced-air pipes running along the floor boards to keep passengers warm. 

M&SC had 4 dedicated express freight cars and 4 milk cars. Because the line ran deep into the agricultural South Shore communities, these cars were vital for hauling farm produce and daily milk jugs straight into Montreal every morning.

1954 Citroen Big 15

an SNCF steam-hauled passenger train crosses the Viaduc de Chaumont, 1957

The Chaumont viaduct is located at kilometer point (PK) 260.757 of the Paris-Est to Mulhouse-Ville line a few hundred meters from the junction of the Blesme - Haussignémont to Chaumont line and less than a kilometer before entering Chaumont station when coming from Paris.

The viaduct is 600 meters long, includes 50 arches that rise to 52 meters and was built over 1855-1856.

'would you like to experience a good real book on my bed?'

cars in Eagle River, Wisconsin, circa 1959

 
Present day view

Boeing 747 SP promo poster for United

The Boeing 747SP (for Special Performance) is a shortened version of the Boeing 747 wide-body airliner, designed for a longer range. It is the highest flying subsonic passenger airliner, with a service ceiling of 45,100 feet (13,700 meters). Boeing needed a smaller aircraft to compete with the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar tri-jet wide-bodies, introduced in 1971/1972. Pan Am requested a 747-100 derivative to fly between New York and the Middle East, a request also shared by Iran Air, and the first order came from Pan Am in 1973.

The variant first flew on July 4, 1975, was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration on February 4, 1976, and entered service that year with Pan Am.

Of the 45 built, one remained in active use as at August 2026.

More info

an eerie Dutch dog head at night

The yellow livery adds to the effect. See earlier posts.

pimp my Morrris Mini pickup

Our source admits this is AI, but we like it!

an automotrice crosses the Viaduc de la Beïte in Provence, France, 1953

Of all the major masonry viaducts on the meter-gauge Nice--Digne line, the Beïte viaduct, which overlooks the medieval village of Annot, is the only one whose arches do not all have the same span. Four of its five arches have a span of 10 meters, while its central arch is elliptical and reaches a span of 34 meters, making it the largest masonry arch on the whole line after the Quarante Mète bridge in the commune of La Mure-Argens.

The viaduct is 123 meters long in total and follows a curve with a radius of 150 meters. At its midpoint, the track rises nearly 25 meters above the Beïte stream. With the exception of the abutments, which are constructed of rubble masonry, the facings are entirely made of dressed stone.

The nature of the soil and the slope of the bridge (2.5 %) necessitated building the pier on the left bank of the Beîte River 3.5 meters lower than the one on the right bank.

The plans for the Saint-André-Annot section were drawn up between 1899 and 1901, but they had to be modified between 1906 and 1908 for the section crossing the Vaïre Valley due to the nature of the terrain, which offered poor foundation support. The Beîte crossing project underwent a radical transformation during these modifications. The initial project envisioned a viaduct with five 15 meter spans and a 150 meter radius curve. The Beïte viaduct is part of the fourth section, running from Le Fugeret to Annot. Designed by engineer Varvier under the supervision of chief engineer Lemoine, the contract was awarded on 9 May 1908 to the Orizet brothers' company. It opened for commercial use on 11 July 1911.

Today, it is used by the Train des Pignes (Pine Cone Train as the line is named).

Sioux City's preserved 10-wheeler steam locomotive No. 1355

 

It is currently being restored to operating condition - website