Trains.com

Chatterbox Fall 2017

27075 views
400 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Defiance Ohio
  • 13,319 posts
Posted by JoeKoh on Monday, December 18, 2017 4:55 PM

evening

Work busy.Ns sent an eastbound when I left work.Went uptown here at home and made a delivery.Got there just before they were leaving for the day.Supper and chores to do.

stay safe

joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,021 posts
Posted by tree68 on Monday, December 18, 2017 10:02 PM

Colder than the dickens last night, and tonight we even shut down the locomotives and didn't connect the "hot starts" because it's going to warm up overnight.

At least the tracks weren't slick, even though they had snow and ice on them.  I hardly used any sand at all on the way up the hill.

Two more nights - four more trips to the North Pole - and we wrap up another year.  As it stands right now, I'm in the cab for all four trips.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • 3,231 posts
Posted by NorthWest on Monday, December 18, 2017 10:30 PM

I spent all of Sunday on the Seattle Subdivision south of Pt. Defiance shooting the last day of Amtrak service along the coast, and then today happened.

I know a few people on 501 and this is all a huge shock.

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • 2,515 posts
Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Monday, December 18, 2017 11:20 PM

No leaves on the track?

tree68
Two more nights - four more trips to the North Pole - and we wrap up another year.  As it stands right now, I'm in the cab for all four trips.

Is this what you prefer, peace and quiet, or would you rather be with the excited kids? Both have their plusses and minuses.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,021 posts
Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 8:10 AM

Electroliner 1935

No leaves on the track?

 

 
tree68
Two more nights - four more trips to the North Pole - and we wrap up another year.  As it stands right now, I'm in the cab for all four trips.

 

Is this what you prefer, peace and quiet, or would you rather be with the excited kids? Both have their plusses and minuses.

 

By now the leaves are all down, and we've made enough trips to clean them pretty well off - so they aren't the problem they are earlier in the season.  Actually a couple of our first trips were pretty slippery.

I do like working on the train and interacting with the passengers.  Sunday night I spoke with families from New Jersey and Leesburg, VA.  We draw from a wide audience.  On the other hand, being on your feet for several hours on a rocking train can get tiring, so sitting in the cab is a welcome respite.

Walking into a car where Santa has made his visits and hearing the clamor of all those bells...

We do see entire families in "matching jammies," as I say.  Its' fun to see them into the event like that.

It's rare that we have any major issues with the passengers.  Or anyone else, for that matter.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • 3,231 posts
Posted by NorthWest on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 10:24 AM

We lost two well-known local railfans aboard 501 yesterday. Thoughts and prayers are with their families.

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
  • 11,919 posts
Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 12:32 PM

tree68
 

By now the leaves are all down, and we've made enough trips to clean them pretty well off - so they aren't the problem they are earlier in the season.  Actually a couple of our first trips were pretty slippery.

Tree.  Hove often wondered if some kind of air jet hooked to main reservoir and controled from cab could blow at least some leaves away ?  Realize that might be too much drain on the air supply but ------

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Defiance Ohio
  • 13,319 posts
Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 3:28 PM

afternoon

Ns had a westbound in the siding when I left work.Matt is doing homework.Chores to do.

stay safe

Joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,021 posts
Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 11:08 PM

blue streak 1
Have often wondered if some kind of air jet hooked to main reservoir and controled from cab could blow at least some leaves away ?  Realize that might be too much drain on the air supply but ------

It would have to be pretty powerful - you'd probably need a separate compressor for the purpose, and it would need to be high pressure with plenty of volume - probably a turbine compressor vs a piston version.

And that wouldn't help for the leaves that get stirred up by the train and end up sticking to the wet rail and subsequently being squashed...

One of the transit agencies (which one escapes me at the moment) has a special car the includes a pressure washer and brushes to clean the rails.

I've wondered if some sort of wire brush could be used ahead of the wheels.  The devil is in the details, like how fast it would have to spin and how long each brush would last before it had to be replaced.

OTOH, a hopper full of good sand can make a world of difference.

Some railroads had steam jets mounted to blow the sand off the rails behind the drivers.  They felt it helped reduce rolling resistance for the rest of the train.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Defiance Ohio
  • 13,319 posts
Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 5:54 PM

evening

Ns had 2 stack trains pass each other after work.The local was also uptown.Ran an errand with Stacey.She got her Christmas present a little early.Chores to do here at home.

stay safe

Joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Sunny (mostly) San Diego
  • 1,920 posts
Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Thursday, December 21, 2017 11:23 AM

tree68
It's rare that we have any major issues with the passengers.  Or anyone else, for that matter.

Understandable; nobody wants to migrate from the "Nice" list to the "Naughty" list, do they?

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy