Reading Company Newtown Pa L-5a 4-6-0 589 May 4 1941 Baldwin 1902
September 26, 2019

There’s an old steam locomotive known as a “camelback!”

As you see in this photo, the engineer’s cab is located on the side of the boiler — the large round portion of every steam locomotive, where the steam is generated to power the driving wheels — rather than behind the boiler, which is the norm for virtually every other type of steam locomotive.

Hence, this design took on the “camelback” name, because the engineer sat astride the boiler. It became a very popular locomotive for pulling short passenger and freight trains on railroads such as the one which I grew up with … the Reading Railroad….

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September 19, 2019

The “WOW factor” … a key part of life!

When’s the last time you said or thought “oh wow” in reacting to something you saw or heard? If you were never…

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September 12, 2019

MARLIN’S GOOD-TIME PICTURE BOOK! – PART 2

The purpose of these “Good-Time Picture” posts is to show color and/or larger versions of photos which appear in my memoir, RADIO…

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September 5, 2019

Like it or not … Disco isn’t a fad

In their July of 1979 issue, a now long-defunct industry magazine named Broadcast Communications published an article under the above headline. It…

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Neil Diamond and the Power of Music
August 29, 2019

Neil Diamond and the Power of Music!

Neil + ABBA an ENCORE moment celebrating the potentially life-changing power of music! Originally Posted February 05, 2018: I’m not quite sure…

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August 22, 2019

My Satellite Radio Days – Part Two

August 26, 2019 … the 17th anniversary of Escape, SiriusXM’s Beautiful Music/Easy Listening channel! Yes, the launch came on August 26th, 2002…

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August 15, 2019

My Satellite Radio Days: Part One

Originally Posted: March 29, 2018 As a Lead-in to next week’s planned Musings, I share this Encore post from March of 2018…

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August 8, 2019

Mike’s From-the-Heart Memories!

Recently, I received a “from the heart” communiqué from a WDVR staff member who joined us fairly early in the station’s life,…

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August 1, 2019

Uplifting Music for the Ages…

Since much of my life and my success in the radio broadcasting industry has been centered — as you’ll quickly discover by…

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WRFM Begin to like radio again subway sign
July 25, 2019

Begin to like radio again … what?

Where did this advertising slogan come from? I’m not sure … one day it just popped into my head. I had never seen it used by another radio station, and I don’t remember ever seeing any other station pick up on it and use it anywhere else in the country.

The year was 1970 and this was not our first promotional campaign, yet it was our first real general market advertising, beginning with the rail and bus station posters shown below … then followed by the subway car poster you see above, along with the lighted signs on the top of the New York City buses.

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July 18, 2019

Legendary Trains …

The Pennsylvania’s Broadway Limited was one of two luxury trains which competed for passengers on the route between New York City and…

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July 11, 2019

A message for those who aspire…

Each year, at the April luncheon of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, a group of 20 college students each receive a “scholarship”…

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