Lots of MOW activity at the diamonds today: arc welding, grinding, impact wrench work. Three, maybe four heavy trucks, and they're still at it coming up to 5 PM. At least the temp is up to 50° now.
If the weather this weekend proves to be better than the forecast I will trek to Rochelle to take an inventory of the work for News Wire.
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
UP business train with 3 or 4 each UP business passenger cars just passed over the diamond heading west, 5PM est
54 "stacks" EB on UP OS 8:09 pm
And I do mean "stacks" - all double. How does one count cars in such a train with some single wells, some articulated?
This one was notable because it was handled by one unit. I'm not in to modern Diseasels enough to know even who built it, much less its HP, TE, or any other important detail.
ChuckAllen, TX
Just saw what looks like three generations of one family.
Grandma didn't realize you don't need to wave to mid-train DPU units!
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
AgentKid Just saw what looks like three generations of one family. Grandma didn't realize you don't need to wave to mid-train DPU units! Bruce
Maybe that is why so many railfans complain that the Engineer didn't wave back!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
UP WB, track inspector with all sorts of blinky lights, two yellow MOW equipment running on tracks, I didn't recognize this pair. at 0723am.
MoW gang working on the near diamond ... again. I imagine that Track Supervisor wishes he had never heard of Rochelle.
I've been assuming from the white MoW vehicles that maintenance here is UP's responsibility (UP MoW equipment in this area is always white). Can anyone confirm that or tell me I'm wrong?
cefinkjr I've been assuming from the white MoW vehicles that maintenance here is UP's responsibility (UP MoW equipment in this area is always white). Can anyone confirm that or tell me I'm wrong?
UP stacks with the "Salt Lake 2002" loco on the front just gone through, heading to Global III.
Dakguy201 Around here at least BNSF vehicles are also white.
CPR MOW equipment is also white.
But it is not the RR's choice. Up here oil company servicing equipment is also white. The truck makers have said if you want to lease instead of buy, you get white trucks. White trucks have a significantly higher resale price for the manufacturers after the lease has expired than any other colour. Or else the lease price will have to be higher.
AgentKid Dakguy201 Around here at least BNSF vehicles are also white. CPR MOW equipment is also white. The truck makers have said if you want to lease instead of buy, you get white trucks. White trucks have a significantly higher resale price for the manufacturers after the lease has expired than any other colour. Or else the lease price will have to be higher. Bruce
The truck makers have said if you want to lease instead of buy, you get white trucks. White trucks have a significantly higher resale price for the manufacturers after the lease has expired than any other colour. Or else the lease price will have to be higher.
I'll take your word for that, Bruce. But, when I was managing vehicle leasing on part of the Penn Central, all of our vehicles were leased from a wholly owned subsidiary that we had inherited from PRR, not from the manufacturers. Those vehicles were ugly PC green with white lettering. On top of that, we required so many special modifications that the leasing company bought cab-chassis trucks and had a local body shop add the custom bodies. But that's a whole other issue.
So is UP responsible for maintenance or is BNSF? The definitive answer to that question probably lies in the original deal that was hammered out when the second road reached that location and needed to cross the other.
cefinkjr But, when I was managing vehicle leasing on part of the Penn Central,
But, when I was managing vehicle leasing on part of the Penn Central,
Up here the change occurred in either '82 or '83, so it would have been much later than you remebered.
cefinkjr AgentKid Dakguy201 Around here at least BNSF vehicles are also white. CPR MOW equipment is also white. The truck makers have said if you want to lease instead of buy, you get white trucks. White trucks have a significantly higher resale price for the manufacturers after the lease has expired than any other colour. Or else the lease price will have to be higher. Bruce I'll take your word for that, Bruce. But, when I was managing vehicle leasing on part of the Penn Central, all of our vehicles were leased from a wholly owned subsidiary that we had inherited from PRR, not from the manufacturers. Those vehicles were ugly PC green with white lettering. On top of that, we required so many special modifications that the leasing company bought cab-chassis trucks and had a local body shop add the custom bodies. But that's a whole other issue. So is UP responsible for maintenance or is BNSF? The definitive answer to that question probably lies in the original deal that was hammered out when the second road reached that location and needed to cross the other.
The normal maintenance responsibility normally falls to the 2nd carrier to the crossing point. If the second carrier had not come to the location the crossing would not be necessary, thus the 2nd carrier gets 100% of the crossing maintenance and upgrading costs. However, each crossing may have it's own maintenance agreement that may be different for reasons that make sense to the carriers involved at the time the agreement was negotiated and signed.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Edit to my previous post:
Oil companies started making the change in '82 or '83. I was talking to a CPR signal maintainer once, after he had just gotten his first white truck around 2003-5. Before that CPR MOW crews had used the same odd shade of yellow since you could buy trucks in anything other than black.
Are there still problems and delays at intermodal ports on the US west coast? I just saw a completely empty WB train of well cars and TOFC cars on the BNSF. I haven't seen that since there were stories on the Newswire about problems a few months ago.
AgentKid Are there still problems and delays at intermodal ports on the US west coast? I just saw a completely empty WB train of well cars and TOFC cars on the BNSF. Bruce
Are there still problems and delays at intermodal ports on the US west coast? I just saw a completely empty WB train of well cars and TOFC cars on the BNSF.
That sounds to me like a lot of boxes sitting on the dock (or expected) with not enough rail cars to move them out. It's also indicative of east-west trade imbalances; doesn't take a container to ship dollars westward.
Re: Color of leased vehicles.
It's often really easy to spot the vehicles that used to be owned by certain companies - their distinctive paint scheme or color being the reason, of course.
I'd opine that said companies may not want the public to see a run-down, third-owner vehicle still in their livery. With white, you might still see a shadow of their markings, if the adhesive didn't all come off...
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...
That train you saw today was the B-CHCSTP. Headed to St Paul.
BaltACD CatFoodFlambe rdettmer the rail on the rail train is not moving to much because its bolted down in the middle So what happens if the Big E pulls a knuckle or a drawbar along his/her merry way?
CatFoodFlambe rdettmer the rail on the rail train is not moving to much because its bolted down in the middle So what happens if the Big E pulls a knuckle or a drawbar along his/her merry way?
rdettmer the rail on the rail train is not moving to much because its bolted down in the middle
the rail on the rail train is not moving to much because its bolted down in the middle
So what happens if the Big E pulls a knuckle or a drawbar along his/her merry way?
And I see these videos of train and the camera Man is as close to the train as can be, I sure hope no one got hit by that.
I know, thier fault for being so close. but still, thats gonna hurt.
I'm a huge fan of the webcam, but have a small query about the weather and temperature display at the bottom right. It's currently showing 46F, but there are folks sitting around in T-shirts and shorts. Either they breed 'em tough in Rochelle, or the number's wrong!
Looking at a few weather apps, they're showing just over 70F, which sounds more plausible. Perhaps the system is picking up minimum overnight temperature, rather than the current value?
Well, that was interesting. Got on the cam, saw a light engine sitting on the far BNSF track, on the far side of the diamond. Shortly thereafter, the headlights went to bright and the ditch lights came on and it crossed the diamond and stopped. Turns out they were headed into the siding.
The light engine didn't stay long, and they're back out off the siding just a few minutes later, still running light.
And as the light engine was blowing for the crossing just out of sight of the diamond, a BNSF eastbound stacker came through on the near track.
Plenty of MOW vehicles in view - I originally thought the locomotive was somehow involved with them.
While it was quiet, you could hear it raining, and the radar looks like they're going to get a good soaking soon.
Heard for the first time, the mile post detector, had two hotboxes, she (the voice is female) call the car number, truck number. 2nd hotbox, the same way of identifying the which box was hot.
I forgot to mention, a MOW truck, with weilding on the diamonds, waiting on trains to continue work. They had thier speakers volumn up, was able to hear what I assume the engineers and the dispatchers. I'm gonna have to get me a scanner.
1806 CT and MofW is still on scene
Woah! Just logged in a little while ago and caught two manifest freights meeting just east of the diamonds. Got a screen shot, if I can figure out how to post it:
Edit: Is that graffiti on the side of the westbound, or some odd logo? Click to enlarge photo.
/Mr Lynn
MrLynn Woah! Just logged in a little while ago and caught two manifest freights meeting just east of the diamonds. Got a screen shot, if I can figure out how to post it: Edit: Is that graffiti on the side of the westbound, or some odd logo? Click to enlarge photo. /Mr Lynn
Looks to be graffiti to me!
I just fired up the webcam page and a westbound UP stacker came through with a stuck horn - local residents must have been very annoyed. I've heard the horn for eight minutes and counting ....
Can't the crew pull a breaker and stop it? Wonder if they have a 'running repair' mechanic at G3 who could fix it.
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
the welder is working late today. ot
What's BNSF hauling in the unit train of low-sided gondolas? Some form of taconite coming down from northern Minnesota? Loads east, empties west, dark colored bulk commodity of some sort, not tarped - I don't think it's frac sand or dirty dirt. If someone knows, would you also know the origin and destination(s)?
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