The Dog Days

So, here we are in the dog days of summer but do you have any idea how the dog days of summer came about.  Sirius,(not the satellite radio) is also known as the Dog Star, because it is the chief star in the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog.  Sirius, in late summer, appears in the east before sunrise close to the sun so when the early astronomers saw this very bright star and the sun rising at the same time, they imagined that this was the cause of hot weather of August, thus the dog days of summer. Speaking of Sirius XM, the dog in their logo does have a name.  Do you know the name of the dog?  Give the correct answer and we will draw at the end of the month for the PEZ dispenser of your choice.   The winner will be posted on the blog in early September. 

As hot as the weather as been in the central NJ area, you are a better person than I am if you are out watching the railroad.  The railroads have figured out that if you paint the roof of the cab white, it lowers the cab temperature by 20 degrees but its still hot out there.  Me personally, I'd rather be indoors reading a book about railroading and if you are so inclined, take a look at some of the books we have for sale on Alibris at http://www.alibris.com/stores/tblrrs63?slr_ref=tblrrs63  I am certain that something will appeal to you and you can pick it up at the store if you're close by. We have taken in hundreds of books and are just a little slow getting them all listed. 

Our photo today comes from Kermit Geary Jr.  The last time I saw Kermit was at Parsons Yard, Columbus, OH when I was still working for FRA.  I admire Kermit for his dogged determination on photographing every single locomotive in the country, even the ones that aren't running anymore.
Here is a big "FRISCO" Northern in Tulsa OK when Kermit was getting his kicks on Route 66.

Stay Safe

Joe