General Discussion

Larry, I'm somewhat used to being close to fast-moving trains. This wasn't too bad a sensation, as the speed was picking up, and we were a safe distance away, first out behind the crossing gates. We crossed the tracks as soon as he cleared, and by the time we could travel less than a mile to the street we turned on, the hind end of his train had disappeared around the Addison Street curve, near the eastern village limits of Lombard, three miles from where we watched him.

Hi all.

Congrats Dan! We will be praying for the baby, your wife, and you!!!

Well, me and grandpa got the back side of his old shed re-sided. Working on making those darn doors now.

 

I'm not going to say "out of the woods" just yet but I think we can see the treeline.  I won't go into details (this is a family place after all) but two opportunistic infections, shock, BP crash (x 3), dehydration, fluid loss, and an allergic reaction to top things off made for quite a long night and scary early morning.

Almost everything is cleared up and pending results from a couple tests she'll be back with baby late tonight or tomorrow AM.  He misses her (and so do I-she was in quarantine).  She is walking short distances, eating, and can move with much less pain.  She asked for a bacon cheeseburger today at lunch which I took as a good sign.  She had to settle for hospital food tho!

Aedan (our son) is cute as a button.  I've been reading some books to him and he knows my voice now.  I think I'll take a Trains back with me this afternoon.  He seemed to like "The Little Engine That Could" when I read it to him.  Maybe that's a sign!  Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers.  I'm not overly religious but I'm sure they helped.

Congrats to new Daddy and Mommy!

Sounds like Misty is well on the road (hallway) to recovery.  We women are a hearty group!  And a bacon cheeseburger sounds like the correct medicine to me! 

Don't forget to whistle for Aedan - you know - 2 longs, a short and a long......

Mama Mook

 

Dan,

I'm sure you and Aedan will have many happy trackside memories made in the cumming years. My family is still praying for your wife.

Well, a dreary day today. Evan a little cool. Drizzled a little around noon. Supposed to be nicer tommrow.

Have a good evening!

Justin 

Mook,

2 longs a short and a long...  I agree!!!

Mook,

Did you send a video into AFV? I saw a video last night that had a cat named Mookie in it. Kind of funny!

Dan - That's good news!  Best hopes for a continued recovery.

That bonding with Aedan is really important, and very cool.  I was at my son's house when my granddaughter came home from the hospital, and make visits with them as often as the 8 hour drive allows.  She knows who I am, and that's very gratifying.   I'm hoping my relationship with my grandson goes the same way.

Mookie:

Don't forget to whistle for Aedan - you know - 2 longs, a short and a long......

Thanks Mook!  I might try that when I'm pushing him in the cart.  I wonder what the nurses will do...but I better be nice.  They have to put up with me for 2.5 more days...

When our first daughter was born, Pat developed a postpartum infection, and, though she came home when Ellen did, had to return to the hospital and be separated from her for several days (not pleasant for a nursing mother!). We ferried frozen milk from the hospital to home. My girls both got to know about trains fairly early, and were pretty enthusiastic about them at one time.

Continued best wishes to both Misty and Aedan.

I hope I can persuade Colin (MetraKid 2") to post the video he should have gotten this afternoon. A westbound UP stack train (ICHG3X-01) had UP 1995 and 1996 for power (the CNW and SP Heritage units, in that order). He tipped me off to the move, and also informed me when the train had passed him in Elmhurst. By the time he got off the phone, the train was catching up to me in Lombard!

Several days ago, UP sent another neat train west from our area--it was headed by UP 1982 (the MoPac Heritage unit), followed by UP 2001 and 2002 (the Olympic SD70s). This train eventually was expanded to about 12,000 feet in length, given a pair of brand-new GEVOs as mid-train DPUs, and (unfortunately for us fans), a yellow UP unit on the point. I think it should have made it to LA by now...hope they return the Olympic units!

CNW 6000:

I've been reading some books to him and he knows my voice now.  I think I'll take a Trains back with me this afternoon.  He seemed to like "The Little Engine That Could" when I read it to him.  Maybe that's a sign!

Congratulations.

If you can find it, you should read him "Choo Choo, The Little Switch Engine". My parents used to joke they read that book to my brother and me so many times their eyes wore the printing off the paper. And my brother and me are still railfans.

Best wishes to all.

AgentKid

 

My favorites as a kid were the kind of semi-educational books in which a freight train was built with the different types of freight cars. There were several of them out there. But I did have a worn-out copy of The Little Engine That Could, which had been given to me by my Grandpa Shaver. I don't think it was read to me too often, since I was a reader at the age of three. We bought another copy when it came time to read to our daughter--who was also reading it herself by age three, and took better care of her copy. I think she bought one to read to her kids, too.

Another favorite of mine was The Little Red Caboose That Ran Away. That, I believe, was my sister's book, so I didn't touch it. But I remember it being read to her. "Then came the car that was old, the car that was new, the car that was yellow, and the car that was blue. And the little red caboose was at the end."

Thanks again for all the wishes.  Mom is doing much better and is released from ICU back to the OB room.  Baby Aedan is healthy and doing well.  Both might even be able to come home tomorrow!  Quite an improvement from where things looked on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, the grisly list of fallen entertainment personalities lengthens. Yesterday we lost Karl Malden. This morning it was Norman Pellegrini. Norm's name isn't a household word like some of the others, but many people who are fond of classical music across the country will remember him as the announcer on the programs of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He also was the program director (for 43 years) of WFMT, which survives as the best classical-music and fine-arts radio station in the country. I'd met him a couple of times. He died just shy of his 80th birthday.

Just got word this morning that a train out of Global 1 is being powered by UP Heritage units 1983 (WP), 1995 (CNW), 1996 (SP), and two other units. The train is stopped at Global 3 now. Headed for Los Angeles. Brian, probably by you about 10:30; Willy, around 5:00 at Fremont. It's going to be a monster west of Rochelle, over 12,000 feet long! (I had mentioned the sighting of 1995 and 1996 on a train from Global 1 to Global 3 on July 1; they returned to Global 1 after dark that evening.)