So anyway, the local is pulling out of the spur and stops at the switch to let off the trainman to throw it. The trainman is standing on the ground directly below the engineer's window. Amazingly, he does not simply look up at the engineer and wave him forward, he looks into his shoulder and talks into his radio to tell the engineer to move!
I think it may take me the rest of the day to get over this.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
Those conversations are likely recorded and kept on tape or whatever. Need proof of what you said, run the recording. Good for defense of the crew and good for management if they're trying to hang someone.
Norm
No doubt true.
Still it was the complete lack of any personal acknowlegement by the trainman to the engineer's existance that amazed me. Talk about diligent following of the rules.
AgentKid So anyway, the local is pulling out of the spur and stops at the switch to let off the trainman to throw it. The trainman is standing on the ground directly below the engineers window. Amazingly, he does not simply look up at the engineer and wave him forward, he looks into his shoulder and talks into his radio to tell the engineer to move! I think it may take me the rest of the day to get over this. Bruce
So anyway, the local is pulling out of the spur and stops at the switch to let off the trainman to throw it. The trainman is standing on the ground directly below the engineers window. Amazingly, he does not simply look up at the engineer and wave him forward, he looks into his shoulder and talks into his radio to tell the engineer to move!
In the days when I was a Trainmaster, you would write up an E-Test failure if you caught a crew using a radio to convey movement instructions. Now a day's I believe they write up an E-Test failure if you DON'T use the radio for movement instructions - even when hand signals are more appropriate and don't clog bandwidth that other crews are trying to use.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Some of our crews prefer to work with hand signals, some prefer to hear themselves talk. I do a little of both, and often go to hand signals if I don't feel like talking on the radio.
Because we generally have short trains, using hand signals isn't a problem.
Two things we always do on the radio, even if hand signals are in use - main track switches and "three step." In the past, we often used a "local" hand signal to call for three step (three fingers in the air), but have started doing so on the air instead.
We aren't supposed to mix them. In fact, it's the usual procedure to hold a "job briefing" when changing over. That's a simple job briefing - "Going to hand signals." "Roger on the hand signals." But sometimes, even if using the radio, it's expedient to simply give a "go ahead" instead of reaching for the radio.
One problem with hand signals is the variety of signals potentially in use. When coupling up to a train, some folks use fist pumps to show number of cars to a hitch. Some flash ten fingers multiple times (30' = three flashes). Some (myself included) just use progressively smaller signals (ie, smaller circles for back up), with a hand pointing to the waist for half a car. Of course, if the engineer doesn't understand a signal, it's time to stop and have a job briefing...
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...
Norm48327 Those conversations are likely recorded and kept on tape or whatever. Need proof of what you said, run the recording. Good for defense of the crew and good for management if they're trying to hang someone.
When conversations, radio or telephone, are recorded it can indeed convict or clear crews. That is, if they can "find" the tape.
Using hand signals is becomming a lost art. Even when the trainman is right next to the engine. It almost seems like new employees, including managers, think you HAVE to use the radio for everything.
Jeff
BaltACDNowadays I believe they write up an E-Test failure if you DON'T use the radio for movement instructions - even when hand signals are more appropriate and don't clog bandwidth that other crews are trying to use.
Don't they record the transmissions as part of the "proof" that all rules and procedures were followed and that 'safety' was appropriately ensured?
Difficult, and probably more intrusive, to have cameras that capture the hand signals and responses. And if I know my Bucky engineers, they'll start figuring out how to use the camera approach for more ... the eye tracking of the employees concerned, perhaps their posture to determine if they are fatigued ... whether they have all their PPE trig. Be glad it only extends to the radio.
Very strange. My chromebook - using chrome browser can log into earthcam.com and connect to any of the cams they have. Rochelle seems to be different? I've tried logging in/out, deleting cookies from the site, and still doesn't connect on the chromebook. Posting this so someone can fix this issue (I hope)
BtrainBob It works fine on my windows pc running win 10 with a chrome browser. My chromebook - using chrome browser - still has the spinning earth. Hello earthcam technical support? Is is the version of flash being used? I upgraded my chrome browser on the win pc yesterday. Chromebook upgrades itself when it wants.
It works fine on my windows pc running win 10 with a chrome browser.
My chromebook - using chrome browser - still has the spinning earth. Hello earthcam technical support? Is is the version of flash being used? I upgraded my chrome browser on the win pc yesterday. Chromebook upgrades itself when it wants.
It was working fine earlier today but it's been "spinning" for a while...
BtrainBob Very strange. My chromebook - using chrome browser can log into earthcam.com and connect to any of the cams they have. Rochelle seems to be different? I've tried logging in/out, deleting cookies from the site, and still doesn't connect on the chromebook. Posting this so someone can fix this issue (I hope) BtrainBob It works fine on my windows pc running win 10 with a chrome browser. My chromebook - using chrome browser - still has the spinning earth. Hello earthcam technical support? Is is the version of flash being used? I upgraded my chrome browser on the win pc yesterday. Chromebook upgrades itself when it wants.
Overmod It probably gets funnier. On my machine (iMac running 10.11.5 with Firefox 47.0.1) the site gives me the The full text of this article is available to registered users of TrainsMag.com. Register now! prompt -- even though I'm logged in correctly and posting in the community. Combined with the earlier fiasco with registration and login, and the problems with dancing-ad content loading on the MR site, this convinces me that whoever Kalmbach has overseeing their Web site architecture is asleep at the switch, at best.
It probably gets funnier. On my machine (iMac running 10.11.5 with Firefox 47.0.1) the site gives me the
prompt -- even though I'm logged in correctly and posting in the community. Combined with the earlier fiasco with registration and login, and the problems with dancing-ad content loading on the MR site, this convinces me that whoever Kalmbach has overseeing their Web site architecture is asleep at the switch, at best.
Does it give you a window to sign in to? I had a similar situation a few weeks ago. I knew I was signed in to the forum and could post, but I got the message you described. Apparently, there is a separate sign-in for the web cam, and after signing in there, it worked OK. The news wire was also included with the cam. I don't know if this is something new, but it's the first time I've seen this.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Cam just came back
The Rochelle webcam is back online following an outage earlier today.
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
OvermodIt probably gets funnier. On my machine (iMac running 10.11.5 with Firefox 47.0.1) the site gives me the The full text of this article is available to registered users of TrainsMag.com. Register now! prompt -- even though I'm logged in correctly and posting in the community. Combined with the earlier fiasco with registration and login, and the problems with dancing-ad content loading on the MR site, this convinces me that whoever Kalmbach has overseeing their Web site architecture is asleep at the switch, at best.
As has been pointed out before, Kalmbach has a very small IT staff with negligible influence on their IT suppliers. The streaming supplier (earthcam.net) still uses the obsolete and vulnerable Adobe Flash technology that is not available on some platforms. Hopefully Kalmbach will redouble their efforts to purge Flash from their websites.
Brian S.? ..................................................................................................... Bueller? ......................................................................................................
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! ***
working on my chrome book using chrome browser again.
Thank you to who ever fixed the problem.
It's been down again for me the past few days. I don't know how to describe it besides saying the picture is all jumbled up.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Red board earlier on UP in front of camera with lots of MOW folks and a heavy truck maybe hi-railed on the north UP track and using the crane to lift stuff off of or onto the NW diamond. Now, 1:20 pm, red board still up but everybody is now gone from the diamonds.
not getting any image to come up today. camera down/ OR MY COMPUTER.
I just got home a little while ago & it's working for me.
I pulled up the camera at what would be 1312 CT at Rochelle and as of 1345 five big intermodal trains have crossed the diamond.
It makes you wonder just how many containers are on the loose out there in the US at any one time. Some of those cargos could be loaded as carload traffic, but can you imagine how snarled up the roads would be around places like Chicago if all those boxes were driven all the way from shipper to receiver?
It sure seems like this is the future of railroading, and the RR's need to figure out how to make it work and more importantly pay.
No problem here, just had to log back in. Westbound BNSF at the diamonds as I post this.
AgentKidIt sure seems like this is the future of railroading, and the RR's need to figure out how to make it work and more importantly pay.
No worries on that score, Bruce. We had it pretty well figured out on the NYC back in the 60s with the FlexiVans. Run 'em fast and ON TIME without the extra weight and wind resistance of taking the under-carriage along for the ride (or charge through the nose if the shipper insists on you moving his wheels, too).
I don't have the figures any more but you might be astonished at the difference in wind resistance between a container and a trailer. Judging by all the side skirts I see on semis these days, the trucking industry has finally noticed too.
ChuckAllen, TX
cefinkjrRun 'em fast and ON TIME
That seems to be at the root of the problem. Being able to charge as much as the bean counters want to, while at the same time keeping the operating costs low. Fast and ON TIME seems to cost more that the accountants would like to pay.
A EB BNSF oil train just cleared the daimonds at 1618 CT, and I can see why people would be having problems watching the camera. In the last 45 minutes or so I have had to reload the page, not just using the little button in the centre of the screen, several times and am receiving error messages to boot. Something is not working as smoothly as it should.
AgentKidSomething is not working as smoothly as it should.
I would opine that the problem lies less with Trains than it does with the folks who write the browser software. Every time you turn around, someone has a new "latest and greatest." You may not even realize you've got that on your computer.
Meanwhile, folks like Trains (or their software folks) are trying to run a site that will keep all of those various versions happy.
Of course, it would be nice if everyone could settle on one set of standards, but all of the vendors have their own little ideas on how things could be improved.
Nobody wants to be Betamax - they're hoping they'll be the next big thing and they'll be able to cash in on their "invention."
Easy to see where they sprayed Round-Up
I had no problems with the site until my computer went floozie and I had to, 1st reload Win 8.1, then re-upgrade to Win 10 (and reload all my files from a backup that didn't work the way it was supposed to and I LOST an awful lot of stuff!).
Now all I see on the Rochelle Webcam is a blank white area and no sound... I assume I am missing the specific browser add-on for the cam, but I have no rememberance of what it should be. Doesn't work with either IE-11 or EDGE.
Help?
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Semper VaporoI had no problems with the site until my computer went floozie and I had to, 1st reload Win 8.1, then re-upgrade to Win 10 (and reload all my files from a backup that didn't work the way it was supposed to and I LOST an awful lot of stuff!). Now all I see on the Rochelle Webcam is a blank white area and no sound... I assume I am missing the specific browser add-on for the cam, but I have no rememberance of what it should be. Doesn't work with either IE-11 or EDGE. Help?
W10 & Firefox - no problems except when the site itself has problems.
Wish I could help Semper. Your environment sounds very similar to mine so you just managed to make me very nervous. (Gosh it's hard to type with my fingers crossed!)
I have been running fine with W10 and Chrome.
The camera uses Flash which is not supported on Edge.
IE11 has been known to have security turned pretty high.
Found it! Gear Icon in the upper right corner of IE-11... select "Safety >", UNcheck the "Active X Filtering" item. Of course, it is too dark to see anything right now, but at least I am getting video feed. Thanks!
Hmmm. Fellow in an orange shirt and white hard hat walking eastbound on BNSF from the diamonds right now - paused briefly to look at the switch and now out of sight. Didn't see if he arrived on a hi-rail or not.
Edit: Hi-rail on left track just crossed the diamonds headed west.
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