edblysardHave a 2009 Ram with the 5.7 Hemi, tows things so easy it is scary...and gets 29 to 30 mpg when I drive, 13 to 16 when the wife drives....
Currently have a 2017 Ram with the 5.7 Hemi - Thank God for Cruise Control - with the smoothness and power of the drivetrain my right foot can easily hit triple digits without me realizing it. It can maintain a cruise set 75 MPH on the mountains of I-68 between Cumberland and Morgantown towing the trailer with the race car and all my racing gear.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD Thank God for Cruise Control
Heck, I use cruise on short trips to town. Besides the gas economy, it does reduce the possibility of a chance encounter with the long arm of the law...
Larry 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...
Busy day
Pen Pal wanted to get some shots around Fostoria.Csx sent 4 trains in a row north on the C&O.Then later they must have cleared space because they sent a very large q 506 that way as well.Tomorrow he wants to check out some spots on the NS(former NYC Waterlevel).Need to get to bed.
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").
Warm day here in Nw Ohio.Ns had MOW crews out.Odot and Idot had work crews out too.Was able to see an Ns work train in Bryan with a Conrail caboose.Back to work tomorrow.
Kind of a let-down day. Milford Memories is over, the 50 year reunion is being rehashed on FB, and my visit here is about to end.
One thing about reunions - you spend several hours socializing with folks you were friends with back in the day, reminiscing, etc. Then you realize that the next day, many of them will be at the airport, headed off to the four corners of the world (ie, home).
It was disheartening seeing the list of folks we knew to have passed. Too many of my really good friends there.
And, after a $300 trip to the auto shop today, found that some of the work done by another shop left something to be desired. At least the truck is back to handling properly again for the 500 mile drive home...
My 2016 Sonata (replacement for the 2002 Stratus) is a zippy, well-handling car. But I think I tend to go with the flow, and the flow is getting faster. I may have hit 100 Saturday, but only actually saw 95. I don't think I ever had the Stratus above 85.Yesterday I had a ouple of train-related adventures:
Leaving church, we began an interesting railroad moment when we saw a freight train sitting on the overpass at Main Street. We had to check this out, of course... The front end of the train was about even with Martha Street, eastbound, ostensibly waiting for the signal at Grace (the control point) to clear for him.
Someone had been talking to us yesterday about the train he saw with five locomotive units on the head end. Well, we saw his five...and raise him five more! Yes, ten locomotives! The first two were UP units, followed by two Norfolk Southern units, then one from CSX. The last five were newly-rebuilt (or at least repainted) GP38s from GATX Leasing. Their stacks were capped, so maybe they don't count.
We drove1 west along Parkside to Elizabeth on our way home, and could see that this train wound all the way past Finley Road and around the curves out of sight. I was torn between following it further back and getting home so we could prepare for our afternoon trip. Pat made the picnic lunch, and I helped pack the cooler (smushed sandwiches would later attest to my capable assistance).
The train was still blocking Elizabeth Drive when we got to where we could see it. So we went down toward Finley (we knew that was blocked), then took Glen Oak/Hill Avenue into Glen Ellyn. The Taylor Avenue overpass had freight cars on it!We were finally able to cross the tracks at Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn--and looking east, we could see the hind end of this freight just a couple hundred feet away. It was a simple matter to look up the tracks and see that this was all one train. Judging from the mileposts and block signal locations, that train was nearly three miles long (13000 feet, I was later told...guess they don't count the locomotives)!
I was unaware of any midtrain DPUs, but there apparently was one--without it, this train would have been a bear to handle! Where it was stopped was probably the best place short of the yard for a train like that to stop--in three miles it had only two grade crossings blocked, and Lombard has an alternative route under the tracks. The train was on Track 1, which meant that the eastbound scoot was affected, having to take Track 3 from University to Grace to get ahead of the freight, then get out of the way of the westbound scoot, also due.
As we went west, we saw an intermodal train stopped on Track 1 (same track as the monster freight) west of the overpass in Wheaton. It could have used the crossovers at University to get around the monster freight, but the fact that it wasn't suggested that the long freight wasn't having any problems that the rest of the railroad wasn't also suffering with. When the freight could move again, so could this guy--but not before.
Then, incredibly, no more freights in either direction were seen all the way out to Rochelle. We began to wonder whether something had really been disrupting traffic!
We stayed on Illinois 38 all the way out. Pat was grousing a little about how late we were and that the tollway would have been faster. As it was, we got to Rochelle about an hour later than we were expecting to.
Our friends, Venu, Hima, Millan, and Ronan, were waiting at the Railroad Park for us. As it turns out, they had also been delayed beyond what they were expecting. Millan, age 12, is passionate about (among many other things) trains, and I love explaining things to young minds thirsty for such information. His dad wants to at least be able to keep up with him, so there were a lot of questions being responded to, to the best of my ability (often Pat helps out). Even Ronan, age 6, overcame his shyness enough to ask questions. One of the questions he asked me was about the longest train I'd ever seen. I didn't have to go into ancient history for that one...
Our lunch together was punctuated with a passing train or two, and a discussion about the workings of air brakes. We later walked down to the gift shop. We couldn't discern anything on the ATCS screen of the UP's line through the window (light and cleanliness issues), but inside the shop was a perfectly visible screen of the BNSF main line. I pointed out to Millan the train that was about 20 miles away but headed in our direction. I bought a copy of the current issue of Trains Magazine, containing articles on the outlying parts of a locomotive, and (could you believe it!) the workings of air brakes. Later I gave it to Millan and his dad. Before we got too far from the gift shop, that BNSF train we'd been tracking came through. We saw several other trains before we left the park, including a WEPX coal train on UP and a solid-auto-rack train on BNSF. Most of the others were intermodal trains.
We then took a quick trip to have a look at the City of Rochelle Railroad, and a couple hundred stored sand cars (including one from a new company that I still need to find out about!). After that, we went our separate ways home. We got gas in DeKalb at about a quarter per gallon less than the going rate around here. When we got on the Tollway, construction had narrowed the traffic to one lane for most of the way to Aurora--it wouldn't have been much faster than the route we took to get to Rochelle.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Chocolate cake and milk for everyone today.(see the Mookie thread).
She started this thread.I just kept it going.She is missed.
Shared dinner last night here in Minneapolis with LA Rams Guy tempered by just finding out we had unexpectedly lost the cat.
Spent yesterday afternoon inside the LORAM home base and plant here at Minneapolis/Plymouth watching assembly of a new 120 stone rail grinder and seeing the new technologies they are working with. (the new undercutters and track lifting assemblies got our attention)...back to the more mundane stuff today (committee work).
afternoon
Local was uptown when I got off work.Going to be very busy with work,back to school etc.Need to do some chores here.
Found out today that the truck is better, but not necessarily fixed. It'll do for the trip home, after which I can do some more looking.
Today's activity was a lengthy drive into Youper land. I'd never been to the Mackinac Bridge, but I have now. I decided to go the extra distance, and can now add Sault Ste. Marie to my list of places visited. Should have taken pictures of the railroad bridge at the locks. I settled for a couple of shots of the downbound laker that was just leaving the lock.
It was a long drive up, which meant an equally long drive back... Tonight I"m packing for an early (hopefully) departure in the morning. The traffic at the Blue Water Bridge can be a killer, as can traffic through metro Toronto.
I also realized during my drive today that this trip will include views of all five great lakes. I didn't take the time to dip my toes in, though. Lake Superior was the only one I hadn't been to, and it gets an asterisk, as I saw it at the Soo Locks...
Time for bed.
I've only seen (and waded in) Superior and Michigan. Hopefully will catch the rest in a few weeks...
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
That double bascule bridge is quite special! I saw it open, and I saw it closed, but I never saw it move from one to the other.I would love to have Toronto as a destination sometime. Not likely to happen for a while, though.(I've seen each of the five Great Lakes on several occasions. Perhaps surprisingly, the one I've seen the least is Lake Huron.)
Come on Carl, almost every movable highway bridge in Chicago is a double-leaf bascule, I believe that 18th Street, Kinzie Street (single-leaf) and Torrence Avenue (vertical lift) are the only exceptions. That being said, watching any movable bridge in action is quite impressive. Full disclosure, I grew up about 3/4 mile from the Torrence Avenue bridge and two movable railroad bridges (CWI and NKP/N&W).
Tree,
A native Michigander? and had not been to Machinac Bridge or the locks? The coach is gunna make you do laps!!! Quite impressive to watch a 1,100 foot 'Laker' squeeze through with only a couple feet to spare and yes it is a LOOOOOOOONG drive, my son does it weekly for 6-8 weeks each winter, (auto industry winter testing)...... So, they double the Blue Water bridge and it takes longer then before..... You were VERY close to the office if you took I-75 and I-69, we're about 3 miles south of that interchange, actually along I-75 just before US-23 merges.....
BOB WITHORNA native Michigander?
Well, almost. Born near where I live now in NY, moved to Michigan (where Dad grew up) when I was one. Left at 17 for USAF and for many years made only sporadic trips back. The UP wasn't on my bucket list. The furthest north any family trip got us was Rose City and Mio (which has a really neat scale railroad - probably 15" guage) where we rode the miniature railroad.
Our usual family vacation was to my aunt's cottage, also near where I live now.
Looks like I went by your office three times, then, to and from the UP, and on my way home (over the Blue Water Bridge and thence to the Thousand Islands Bridge). With a stop in Imlay City to top off the gas tank. Made it home on that!
I actually got over the Blue Water Bridge with minimal delays, especially considering some of the lines I"ve seen heading for it on my trips in the other direction.
Drove through a heavy thunderstorm at Kingston, ON, and into a NWS warned severe thunderstorm after I crossed the border. That one had hail, although I wasn't able to measure any. Definitely more than raindrops hitting the truck, though...
evening
Ns had one in the siding and one on the main when I left work.Also the local was uptown too.Came home and got the swamp mowed.Matt has a list of chores for next week.Mother nature is going to send the rain for sure.Time for bed.
Rained on and off today.Ns has a train in the siding.Had to call a couple places after work.I love talking to robots.Glad tomorrow is Friday.
joe
Close enough. My inlaws, then my girl friends parents, had a cabin on Sage Lake s.e. of Rose City. Rose City was the 'big' town, they had the area grocery store. Many saturday evenings we were required to tag along to Lupton to the old bar/restaurant/dance hall that was built by the Purple Gang as a hideout. Fun times, good memories.
edit: the dance hall was the Graceland Ballroom.
CSSHEGEWISCHCome on Carl, almost every movable highway bridge in Chicago is a double-leaf bascule, I believe that 18th Street, Kinzie Street (single-leaf) and Torrence Avenue (vertical lift) are the only exceptions. That being said, watching any movable bridge in action is quite impressive. Full disclosure, I grew up about 3/4 mile from the Torrence Avenue bridge and two movable railroad bridges (CWI and NKP/N&W).
I recall seeing Jake and Elwood having fun with a movable bridge. “Fix the cigarette lighter!”
Paul, I know that, and the bascule bridges in Chicago are something that are worth seeing. But this bridge at the Sault is still special. It closes into a full truss structure. The closest Chicago comes to that is perhaps the bascule bridges on Lake Street and Wells Street. You have to picture the complexities of the two immovable bscule bridges south of the Loop (one B&OCT, permanently up, and the other the St. Charles Air Line, permanantly down). These would be facing each other, and where they meet would be the midpoint of one large truss when they were closed (in appearances, I mean--obviously not in fact). Having been over and/or under nearly every railroad/waterway bridge in Chicagoland (including the poor B&O bridge over the Calumet River, and having walked over the old Monon swing bridge in Hammond that's been in the news), I still think that Sault bridge is special. The railroads must have, too--WC organized the subsidiary SSAM to own a heap of Yooper-serving cars and the Sault Sainte Marie Bridge, for which it was named.
ChuckCobleighI recall seeing Jake and Elwood having fun with a movable bridge. “Fix the cigarette lighter!”
CShaveRRMakes me come a little unhinged
I think “unhinged” would describe most of the “stunts” in the movie. The music, on the other hand, was timeless, with Ray, John Lee, James, Aretha, Cab and the actual Blues Brothers band, not all of whom are still with us (understandable after about 40 years). Actually, as I think about it, Matt “Guitar” Murphy went about two months ago.
Evening
Ns had a train in the siding.They also had one go each way after work.Dodged some sprinkles and Matt got mowing done uptown.Raining harder now.Tomorrow it's chores and a drain plug fix in the bathroom.
It's been raining here off and on all day. Hopefully it clears up by morning - no fun doing a muster in the rain.
I did manage to get the lawn mowed.
If there are any hams here, there's a special event station running Saturday at the Thousand Island's Bridge (80th Anniversary). Frequencies are in QST and the ARRL website.
My sister lives in MC's neck of the woods. A couple of nights ago, whilst watching the usual bug, moths, and birds in her back yard, a large hawk flew over, followed by a smaller hawk. The bigger bird kept going. The smaller hawk lit on a tree in the neighbor's yard.
Sister retrieved her binoculars and was checking out the hawk when it turned its head and looked directly at her. Then if flew toward her, turning only at the last possible moment.
Quite the experience...
I recognized almost all of the location shots in the "Blues Brothers". The bridge in question is the 95th Street Bridge over the Calumet River. After the jump is completed, note in the background that the gates are raised and the warning lights are off.
Got the plugs fixed.Matt said"Hey Dad".Turns out his needed fixed too.He got his turn to be Mr.Plumber.Csx didn't run too much when I looked.Two deer decided to check out CSX but they took off.
Not too much on Csx today.Sounded like they had a train stopped at Rosedale.Matt did the dishes today with his church group.He will be doing them again tonight at his job.Work comes early tomorrow.
Rain has arrived.Ns had some cars uptown after work.Chores to do.
good evening
Ns had a train in the siding when I left work.Looked like the conductor was walking the train too.I think mother nature is done with the rain.Going to cool off according to the guessers.School called and reminded Matt about the open house and he goes back next week.Chores to do.
Got rain through here early in the afternoon, .18". Might be a few scattered showers overnight.
Plenty to keep me busy inside anyhow...
My step-grandfather passed over 20 years ago, but he was the last in his family, at least in SE MI, so his grave marker was never updated with the year of his passing. Took care of that today. May seem like a minor detail, but at least it'll be done. He was 95, born in 1900.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.